Top of the morning, ndị Enyimba ibem!
A beautiful weekend is around the corner, and we’re buzzing with anticipation for this round of Nigeria Premier Football League action. The NPFL never fails to deliver—a cocktail of drama, fans, football, twists, and subplots that keep us glued season after season, through the highs and lows.
But let’s be honest—today’s piece is coming straight from the heart, fuelled by genuine concern for our beloved league.
From the good ol’ NPL to LMC’s NPFL (Professional), IMC’s NPFL (Premier), and now NPL’s NPFL—name change after name change, acronym shuffle after acronym shuffle—yet the issues remain deeply rooted. Some of the same headaches we had during Chief Rumson Baribote’s era are still alive and well in Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye’s tenure.
Let’s talk about them, shall we?
Security? Still shaky.
Branding and marketing? A work in (everlasting) progress.
Broadcasting? Let’s not even go there just yet.
The way we operate sometimes, it’s like we’re running a community tournament at the village square—not a nation’s top-flight football league. And it shows. The inconsistency, the disorganisation—it all chips away at the value of the NPFL and leaves a ripple of mediocrity running through the lower divisions.
And don’t get me started on punishments and appeals. The disciplinary decisions? All over the place. One club gets slammed, another gets a slap on the wrist for a similar offence. Then appeals fly in, and out comes a strange ruling from the NFF committee that makes you want to pour palm wine on your head and ask, “Are we even trying to grow this league or just keeping it on life support?”
Broadcast partners? Ha! They come in, sign exclusivity rights, and then operate on vibes and sabbaticals. Redstrike, MultiChoice, Propel Sports Africa, StarTimes—it’s always the same plot with different characters. Nobody holds them accountable. They decide when they want to show matches and when to ghost the league, and somehow, the organisers just watch.
Even something as basic as matchday scheduling is chaos. You can’t tell a team to prepare for a Sunday fixture, then change it to Friday midweek, only to revert to Sunday again. That’s not just poor planning—it’s disrespectful to the clubs, the fans, and everyone trying to build something around this league. The latest incident with our team says it all. That kind of flip-flopping is not just frustrating—it’s embarrassing.
Now, don’t get me wrong—it’s not a witch-hunt. I don’t believe there’s any grand sabotage at play here. But what it is, is a lack of coordination and leadership. And it needs to be called out. Not for clout. Not for claps. But for the good of the league.
As our people say:
“Onye kpọọ obo ya mkpọkọrọ, ụmụrịma egworo ya gburie ewụrị.”
(When a man calls his calabash useless, the children will make it a plaything.)
If we don’t respect our own league, why should anyone else?
A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
Enyimba Enyi.
