Unlocking the Nigerian professional league

Arguably the most successful football club in the history of Nigerian football is Enyimba FC. The Aba-based club has won the Nigerian Premier League more times than any other club (nine times). It is the only club to have won the CAF Champions League trophy (twice). The club’s records and fixture at the top half of the Premier League have remained consistent and unblemished for over two decades.

Last week, ‘the People’s Elephant,’ the last amongst the four clubs that represented Nigeria in the ongoing 2024/2025 CAF Club competitions, was also knocked out of the second-tier CAF Confederations Cup. In their last two group matches, they lost to Zamalek FC of Egypt in Cairo by 3-1, after playing a drawn game in Aba in the first leg.

They are the last of the four Nigerian clubs that qualified and failed (again) to make any headway in the two continental CAF competitions this 2024/2025 season. The other three teams were El Kanemi Warriors FC of Maiduguri, Remo Stars FC of Ikenne and Rangers International FC of Enugu.

These ‘giants’ collectively represent the continuing failure of Nigerian clubs to make an impact in African club football in the past 20 years, the last time a Nigerian club won any of the two CAF trophies in African football.

What does this mean in terms of Nigeria’s domestic football development where success is measured only in trophies and medals won? The question is pertinent because Nigeria has the largest number of African players in the professional football ranks abroad. Yet this high production rate of players good enough for the leagues abroad, is not reflected at all in the domestic leagues at home. The wider implication may even be that the migration abroad is depleting the teams at home and reducing the