He is the 20th Football Association Chairman in Kwara State, and arguably the game changer in the system. He is Alhaji Idris Abdullahi Musa, popularly known as Thuraya.

Just like the name, Thuraya, he is the network that has come to connect all the missing links in Kwara football. It’s a strong network that has opened new vista in the system. It has changed the narratives, it’s charting a new course. It has continued to break new grounds, all of which have assisted the state to achieve mileages on all fronts.

He is the very first Football Association Chairman that emerged from Kwara North, surprisingly beating three other contestants to the seat in 2019. His capacity, capability and achievements also earned him a second term of another four years in 2013. And that seems to be the magic that Kwara football has been waiting for.

At every level of sports development, performance is the yardstick for the measurement of leverages and mileages. Leverages and mileage produces multiple opportunities for the building and sustenance of overall growth and uplift that benefits the ecosystem.

Before now, the relationship between the FA and league clubs most especially in the state has been that of cat and mouse. That has become a thing of the past under Thuraya. All clubs in the state, irrespective of class and cadres, have continued to enjoy developmental support from the FA, and that has so far, increased the numbers of participation in national competition, and more laurels won.

For the past six years, Kwaran United Football Club has enjoyed a sustainable stay in the elite league against what used to be a normal routine in the past, of coming and going to and from the Nigeria National League (NNL).

Within four years, Kwara United won two CAF Confederation Cup tickets, one through the league in 2022, and the other through the President Federation Cup in the just concluded season.

And in his reactions after Kwara United and the state broke that jinx, Thuraya said that another jinx will be broken in the short possible time.

“We have not won the President Federation Cup trophy before Saturday June 28, 2025. We have done so, and in style too. We have not won the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title before, and very soon, we will do so”, Thuraya had averred.

As a strict administrator, Thuraya had identified that strict adherence to the right protocols can guarantee healthy development of the round leather game.

Before now, competitions were being held without clearly defined purposes, until Kwara State Football Association (Kwara FA) clamped down on violators of grassroots football development protocols, in line with the regulations guiding association football.

According to him, the move became imperative, to ensure proper coordination of football development activities, as the FA is not happy with how football is being run in the state. He promised then, to continue to protect the integrity of football without fear or favour.

“Starting from the Local Football Councils, which we expected to submit scorecards of their achievements so far, no competition must be held without the approval of the Football Councils or Football Association, as our primary duty was to control the organisation, and equally organise competitions to discover talents.

Thuraya also charged that no grassroots competition must be held without the usage of certified coaches, badged referees, provision of security, ambulance and other protocols, as outlined in the Rules and Regulations of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as derived from CAF and FIFA Statutes.

He equally added that organisation of competitions must be done with well defined objectives, aimed at enhancing total discovery and development.

That, no doubt, may have set the tone for the seamless organization and result oriented competitions and opportunistic atmosphere in the system.

Kwara FA, on assumption of office six years ago, organised a tour of all the 16 Local Government Areas in the state, and thereafter, organised Inter-Local Government U-15 Football Tournament, with most of the discoveries now making waves in Nigeria and beyond.

The competition didn’t only serve as a platform for talent discoveries, it set the tone and standards on how to stage a befitting competition.

For six years running, the FA has consistently organised State Super League, grassroots competitions, set regulations and control, and as well, take Local Football Council into confidence in the delivery of the necessary actions.

Under his reign, Kwara state has won the Ramat Cup International gold and silver trophies in Kano, and this year alone, the FA increased the trophies in its cabinet with the motivation of the indefatigable administrator, Thuraya.

First, it was the 2025 edition of the Chief of Naval Staff Cup in Kaduna. Thuraya was on hand in Kaduna to motivate the YSFON team, made up of Kwara Football Academy players, and they returned home with the gold trophy.

Thuraya was also, alongside his able Vice Chairman, Bashorun Kayode Bankole, at Ikenne, in Ogun State tó motivate Kwara football team to the National Sports Festival, Gateway Games. Their motivation and support assisted the team to win silver, after losing to the hosts, Ogun state in the final at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta. The silver was regarded as a golden silver, as the state has never won any football silverware in the National Sports Festival before.

Thuraya played a pivotal role in the double trophy won by Kwara United in Lagos, on Saturday June 28, 2025 and Sunday June 29, 2025.

Kwara United defeated Abakaliki FC 4-3 on penalties to win the Federation Cup in Lagos on Saturday June 28, 2025. The regulation time had ended goalless. Kwara United, for the first time in its history, won the trophy.

The Nigeria Federation Cup is the main football single-elimination tournament in Nigeria contested by 74 teams, representing the 36 states and the FCT of Nigeria. It is the Nigerian domestic Cup competition.

The tournament was created in 1945 as the “Governor’s Cup”, succeeding the War Memorial Challenge Cup that had been limited to teams from Lagos.

The tournament, as the Governor’s Cup, was initially dominated by Lagosian teams, later it was known as the Nigeria FA Cup from (1954–1959), Nigeria Challenge Cup (1960–1998), Coca-Cola FA Cup (1999–2008) and Nigeria Federation Cup (2009–2016). Between 2017 and 2022, the competition was sponsored by the AITEO group and known as the AITEO Cup including the women’s tournament.

Since 1945, which by calculation, is now 80 years ago, Kwara United and indeed, any team from the state hasn’t won the trophy. The nearest a team from the state, Alyuf Salam Rocks, a privately owned club, reached the final, but lost it to Rangers International of Enugu by 2-0. That was in 1976, 49 years ago, to be exact.

Kwara is one of the few states that made early waves in sports, especially football in the country. The high enthusiasm and consciousness culminated in the construction of the State Stadium Complex in 1977, which has now been named as George Agbazika Innih Stadium Complex, in honour of the late former Military Administrator in whose tenure it was constructed.

And, on that fateful day, Saturday June 28, 2025, Kwara United won the trophy.

Equally on Sunday June 29, 2025, Kwara United U19 team won the inaugural Ń-Youth League Super 8 competition gold, with Kwara Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq witnessing both finals.

The 16 Local Government Football Council Chairmen in Kwara state were in Lagos for the final of the 2025 President Federation Cup on the bill of the State FA. The FA sponsored the Chairmen and some major stakeholders to Lagos, all expenses paid, including accommodation and feeding.

Thuraya was also in Abuja during the NLO Play-off, to motivate the two state teams involved, NA Royals FC and House of Prayer FA.

There in Abuja, Thuraya charged both teams to take advantage of the platform provided them by the financiers of the clubs, and to make the state proud. Eventually, none of the two made it, but not without the presence of the State FA, as a motivation.

Thuraya brought the sponsor that helped in replacing the artificial turf of the Main-Bowl of the George Agbazika Stadium with natural grass, as a way of encouraging the hosting of international matches in Ilorin.

While calling for the continuous support of the state Governor and Kwarans as a whole, Thuraya thanked the number one citizen in the state for sowing positive seeds for the growth of the game of football.

“The Governor is instrumental to whatever achievement we have achieved, and will also achieve in football in the state. His Excellency buying of slots and money being spent on sports motivated me and I promised that on issues of football I won’t let the state down. His Excellency also gave me money to complete the FA House.

Thuraya is no doubt, a titan of football leadership in Kwara state. He stands tall as one of Nigeria’s most industrious and results-driven FA Chairmen. His unwavering commitment has transformed football in Kwara State, setting benchmarks that resonate beyond borders. He is a man of few words but many accomplishments, Thuraya is a silent achiever whose work echoes through every stadium and grassroots initiative in the state.