How Gbenga Elegbeleye pulled NPFL back from the brink

How Gbenga Elegbeleye pulled NPFL back from the brink

_Through governance reform, financial restructuring, and calendar stability, the league is regaining respect at home and laying the groundwork for a continental comeback_

*By Wale Oyekanmi*

For years, the Nigeria Premier Football League was a case study in squandered potential. Once the breeding ground for African football giants, the NPFL became synonymous with erratic calendars, poor officiating, hooliganism, corruption, and a sponsorship drought that left clubs broke and fans disengaged. The league had lost its shine, its credibility, and its standing among Africa’s elite.

That narrative is changing. At the center of the turnaround is Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye.

Before 2022, the NPFL was in crisis. The League Management Company was dissolved in September 2022 after the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development declared it “illegal.” Sponsors had pulled out. TV coverage disappeared. Referees complained of unpaid indemnities, and some matches were allegedly influenced by who paid more. Match fixing, poor security, and inconsistent scheduling made the league unattractive to fans and investors.

The league functioned, but barely. Most Nigerians preferred to watch the English Premier League rather than support their own.

Elegbeleye took charge in September 2022 as Chairman of an 11-man Interim Management Committee tasked with stabilizing the league in line with the 10-year football master plan. By 2023, he was confirmed as Chairman of the substantive NPFL Board.

What followed was an unglamorous but deliberate rebuild focused on governance, credibility, and commercial appeal.

*Elegbeleye’s Repositioning Strategy:*

*Restoring Credibility and Cutting Match Fixing*

Officiating was the biggest pain point. Elegbeleye partnered with GTI Asset Management and Trust Ltd. to take over match officials’ indemnity payments. For the first time, referees and other officials were paid promptly and directly.

This removed the incentive for bias and manipulation that came from host teams and state FAs handling welfare. With GTI in control, the financial leverage to compromise games dropped sharply.

*Stabilizing the Calendar*

For decades, the NPFL couldn’t stick to a fixed season. In 2024/25, that changed. The league ran from August to May and concluded exactly on schedule on 25th May 2025, matching the EPL.  

“It’s all about determination… to give the Nigeria League the best,” Elegbeleye said.

*Improving Officiating Standards*

The board introduced communication gadgets for referees in the 2024/25 season and began training officials for VAR. Elegbeleye credited better refereeing for Nigeria’s increased representation at CAF competitions. Former international Ben Iroha noted that improved security and officiating had restored confidence in away results.

*Increasing Investment and Prize Money*  

Winner’s prize money rose from N100m to N150m, and then to N200m for the 2024/25 season. Elegbeleye has also pushed for more corporate partnerships, pitching the NPFL as “a national brand with presence across all regions” and “a platform for investors seeking visibility, credibility, and social impact.”

*Rebuilding Public Trust*

Workshops for coaches, media officers, and security chiefs, plus expanded radio and TV coverage, have made the league more accessible and transparent.  

“Nigerians are seeing the good side of what we are doing,” Elegbeleye said.

*The CAF Ranking Reality*

Here’s the nuance. CAF’s 5-year club ranking, which determines how many teams Nigeria can enter into continental competitions, tells a different story:

2020/21: 9th in Africa  

2021/22: Still 9th before Elegbeleye took over  

2022/23 – 2024/25: Slipped to 12th

The drop isn’t because the league got worse at home. Nigerian clubs have underperformed in Africa. Remo Stars, Abia Warriors, El-Kanemi and others exited early in the last three seasons.

CAF rankings are based solely on Champions League and Confederation Cup results over five years. They don’t measure calendar stability, refereeing improvements, or financial reforms at home.

“Don’t judge the NPFL with team’s continental misadventures,” Elegbeleye has said. The domestic product is stronger now. Until Nigerian clubs start winning in Africa, the ranking won’t reflect that progress.

*A Final Day Decided on the Pitch*

The credibility of the rebuild was underlined yesterday on Matchday 38, when the 2025/26 NPFL season reached its climax with both the title and relegation battles still open.

Rangers International beat Ikorodu City 2-1 in Lagos to clinch the title, settling the championship race on the final day. At the other end, Kun Khalifat survived the drop, while defending champions Remo Stars joined Wikki Tourists, El-Kanemi Warriors and Bayelsa United in relegation.

For the first time in years, the league avoided the scripted endings and off-pitch decisions that once defined it. Clubs earned their fate on the pitch, under a stabilized calendar, with referees paid directly and security tightened.

That drama is the payoff Elegbeleye promised. A league where fans don’t know the champion or who drops until the final whistle is a league worth watching again. It validates the push for competitive balance and shows why stakeholders say the NPFL is “gradually going back to the good old days.”

Locally, the NPFL is in better shape than it has been in a decade. Nigeria sits 12th in Africa on CAF’s ranking, but Elegbeleye believes the foundation is set for that to rise again. “We are building a league that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in Africa,” he stated.

Elegbeleye admits the league isn’t where it needs to be. Continental performances remain poor, and full VAR rollout is still being pursued with sponsors. Player wages and infrastructure also need upgrading.

But the trajectory is clear. From a league once described as “down and out,” the NPFL is regaining structure, respect, and belief at home. The next step is translating that into results on the continent.

Against skepticism and years of dysfunction, Elegbeleye stood tall. By tackling corruption at its root, stabilizing operations, and bringing in credible partners like GTI, he has given the NPFL a fighting chance to become one of Africa’s most competitive leagues again.

“Our best is yet to come,” he says. For Nigerian football, that’s a statement worth believing in.