For over 40 years the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) management has failed to give Nigerian football fans and players a robust league capable of retaining its talents and building a sustainable soccerpreneurial space to boost the economy.
The story of NPFL can be likened to that of a sick woman whose condition has failed to improve, defiling all medication despite efforts from the physicians.
It is rather unfortunate that despite all the funds injected into the league management, many Nigerian clubs could not qualify for the group stages of the CAF competitions which depicts poor quality league.
Worse still, many young and promising talents are not retained, in the last five years, the NPFL top goal scorers are found playing in many unknown league across because of poor welfare.
The NPFL secured $1 billion broadcast sponsorship deal with StarTimes, a Chinese satellite provider for five years. Though there is an increase of N50 million in prize money for league winners, the state of the game in Nigeria is yet attractive enough to retain the country’s aspiring footballers.
It is unimaginable to think of a Nigerian league top scorer going to Vietnam, Ethiopia and unknown league in UAE, among others. Players in Nigeria football league earn a minimum wage of N150,000 per month, the average salary in the league is between N380,000 and N420,000, and amount that is not even up to what the least of players earn per week in Europe.
This cannot be compared to what a player is paid countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco, among others. Some years ago, Ananyo Iwuala moved to Tunisia with salary proposal of $50,000 per month (over N80 million).
Chijioke Mbaoma, was the top goal scorer in the colours of Enyimba Football Club of Aba in 2023/24 when he won the golden boot with 17 goals.
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It was expected that the lethal striker would remain and add flavour to the domestic league, but that was not be as the centre forward player is currently plying his trade with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Arabian league.
Similarly, Chukwuemeka Obioma, also a former Enyimba FC player, won the highest goal scorer award in 2022/23 league season with16 goals.
Today, Obioma is playing in the United Arab Emirate league with Al-Bashayi SC. The reason for this ugly development is not far-fetched, as the hardly can boast having players in the national, not talk of the income and welfare of players.
Chijioke Akuneto, a former player of Rivers United FC, who emerged the highest goal scorer with 19 goals in 2021/22 is currently plying his trade with Mechal in Ethiopia.
The same goes for Charles Atshimene, who won the 2020/21 golden boot award with 19 goals playing with Akwa United, plays with Quang Nam FC in Vietnam.
Silas Nwankwo, a former Nasarawa United centre forward, who won the highest goal prize 2020/21 also with 19 goals left Nigeria to play for Mjallby AF in Sweden.
In the same vein, Israel Abia, formerly with Rangers International of Enugu, who scored 12 goals in 2019/20 to clinch the highest goals scorer’s award is currently with Al- Kawkab in Saudi Arabia.
Almost every club in Nigeria have seen players move abroad even to remote places in search of professional careers.
Philip Adefioye, a sport analyst said poor management of the country’s league Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), and the surging economic hardship pushing footballers out of the country for greener pastures.
Ufuoma Lucky, a football enthusiast said football can become one of Nigeria’s green oil if the NFF can eschew corruption and manage the league well.
“Nigeria can attract foreign exchange through football if NFF knows what they are doing. Some years ago, footballers were coming from Ghana, Cameroun, and Benin Republic, among others to play in our league.
“But today, the reverse is the case, simply because of mismanagement,” he noted.
Recently, Brazil’s head of state made a case for local footballers to form the nucleus of the national team because of the quality of their league.
“Those who are abroad are not better than those here. In Brazil, there are good players of the same quality as those abroad, so give opportunities to those who are here,” he said
But this cannot be said of Nigerian, as the country consistently rely on foreign-based players for the national team, especially the senior team.
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