The Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye, has expressed optimism that the Nigerian topflight can become the best league in Africa. With Remo Stars clinching their first-ever title with three games to go, Elegbeleye believes the league is poised for greatness.
“We will run a seamless and very smooth league till the last matchday. I am happy Nigerians are believing and appreciating what we are doing. I will say our best is yet to come, we will continue to improve until we give Nigeria the best league in Africa,” Elegbeleye said during a radio interview.
The NPFL has witnessed significant structural stability in recent years, with an increase in prize money and a stable August to May calendar. The league’s prize money has increased geometrically, with the winner set to receive N200m this season. “We promised when we started three years ago that we would pay the winner N100m and we did. Last season, we paid N150m and this season we said we are going to pay N200m and we are going to do that,” Elegbeleye said.
The NPFL’s stable calendar has also been designed to match the European football calendar, allowing Nigerian players to participate in international trials without absconding from their clubs. “We want to match Europe so that our players who really want to go for trials during the off-season will be able to, without looking like they absconded from their clubs,” Elegbeleye added.
Despite the league’s progress, Elegbeleye expressed concern about Nigerian clubs’ performance in African competitions. “My major concern now is that our clubs are going to the continent and not doing well. The time has come for us to address that headlong and that is the next target I am facing,” he said. With Enyimba’s two CAF Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004 being the benchmark for Nigerian clubs in Africa, the NPFL chairman is determined to help Nigerian teams dominate the continent once again.