Kano Pillars name RAFA Detergent front-shirt sponsor

Kano Pillars name RAFA Detergent as its front-shirt sponsor

Kano Pillars have announced RAFA Detergent as their new official front jersey sponsor, with the brand set to feature on the club’s home and away shirts for the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The partnership was announced by the Kano-based club on Sunday as part of efforts to strengthen its commercial outlook and deepen its relationship with private-sector businesses.

“A new chapter begins! A partnership built on shared values, ambition and a commitment to excellence. KANO PILLARS FC x RAFA DETERGENT. SAI MASU GIDA!” the club posted on its official X handle.

The agreement was signed by Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu, Chairman of Rafa Corporation and Group Executive Director of BUA Group, and Alhaji Ahmed Musbahu Garo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kano Pillars Football Club.

Speaking at the unveiling, Rabiu described the sponsorship as a natural connection between a proudly Nigerian manufacturing business and a football institution whose significance extends far beyond the field of play.

“We are very excited to form this partnership with Kano Pillars,” he said.

The club’s extraordinary following, enduring place in Kano’s identity and distinguished contribution to Nigerian football, he explained, made it a compelling partner for Rafa. For many people born and raised in Kano, supporting Pillars begins in childhood and becomes a lifelong attachment.

Football, Rabiu added, brings young people together, encouraging discipline, friendship and a shared sense of purpose. Rafa’s involvement would extend beyond brand visibility to supporting the club’s development and expanding its reach across Nigeria and beyond.

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RAFA replaces Radio France International (RFI) Hausa, who were Pillars’ front-of-shirt sponsors last season in a deal reportedly worth N100m. The new partnership will see the detergent brand’s logo displayed prominently on the club’s playing shirts during the new NPFL campaign.

The agreement is another step in Pillars’ efforts to attract private investment under General Manager and former Nigeria international Ahmed Musa, with the club looking to reduce its dependence on government funding through commercial partnerships.

RAFA becomes the latest detergent brand to occupy the front of a Kano Pillars shirt, following Aspira Nigeria’s Viva Detergent, which sponsored the club during the 2020/21 season.

Images released following the announcement also offered a glimpse of how the new kits could look, with home, away, alternate and goalkeeper jerseys modelled by Fabian Nworie, Ibrahim Sani Halliru, Frank Onyebuchi and Shola Abdulraheem.

The new branding comes ahead of Pillars’ rescheduled NPFL Matchday Three clash with Shooting Stars at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Wednesday.

The encounter is scheduled for 4pm, with Sai Masu Gida expected to make their next league appearance sporting the new partnership prominently as they continue their campaign.