by Olayinka Owolewa
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership is hereby reminded of the necessity to immediately pause, reflect on the continental disappointments exemplified by Remo Stars’ heavy defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, and design a “Renewed Hope” Football Prosperity Roadmap.
This plan must be a non-negotiable, time-bound blueprint to transition Nigerian football into a self-sustaining, multi-billion-Naira industry that contributes significantly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for economic growth.
Three Pillars of Urgent Structural Reform
The Roadmap must be designed around three non-negotiable, quantifiable action points:
1. The Professionalisation of the NPFL via Strict Club Licensing
Action Mandate: The NFF must adopt a zero-tolerance approach to the existing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Club Licensing regulations.
The Private Investment Trigger: Club licensing must be immediately updated to mandate a clear path to private ownership/public-private partnership (PPP) structure, effectively ending the outdated and unsustainable model of state government ownership that currently stifles growth and transparency.
Quantity over Quality Dismantling: The notion that the NPFL must have 20 teams is to be discarded.
Only clubs that meet the full financial, infrastructural, sporting, and administrative requirements of the updated licensing regime should be allowed to compete.
If this results in a 10-team league for a defined transitional period, so be it. Quality and economic viability must take precedence over political inclusion.
2. A Total Dismantling and Re-engineering of the National Institute for Sports (NIS)
Action Mandate: The current structure and curriculum at the National Institute for Sports (NIS) in Lagos must be deemed obsolete and immediately dismantled and re-engineered.
The Modern Curriculum Imperative: A new curriculum, designed in collaboration with certified international football bodies and experts, must be introduced.
This curriculum must focus on modern sports science, data analytics, financial management in football, and cutting-edge coaching methodologies that can truly “stand the test of time” and produce world-class administrators, coaches, and sports professionals.
3. Economic Prosperity as the Metric of Success
Action Mandate: The NFF’s key performance indicators (KPIs) for the next four years must shift from mere qualification for tournaments to tangible economic markers in the domestic league.
Key Prosperity Metrics: These must include:
Minimum threshold for private equity/investment attracted into the NPFL annually.
Minimum broadcast/media value secured for the NPFL.
Measurable growth in club-generated revenue (e.g., merchandise sales, ticketing, sponsorships).
The NFF is charged with presenting this draft “Renewed Hope” Roadmap, complete with clear timelines and responsible personnel, to the Chairman of National Sports Commission (NSC) and the public within 90 days.
This is not just a call for change, but a demand for a concrete, professional plan to secure the future of Nigerian football as a viable economic asset for the nation.
I believe this revised document, titled the “Renewed Hope Football Prosperity Mandate,” effectively turns my points into a comprehensive, politically framed policy directive. It highlights the economic cost of failure and ties all proposed reforms directly to the nation’s highest political agenda.
This is not an advisory document; it is a declaration that the structure of Nigerian football must align with the President’s vision for a prosperous, diversified national economy, starting immediately.
