The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has warned newly promoted clubs that failure to meet the league’s club licensing and infrastructure requirements could prevent them from playing home matches or even jeopardise their participation in the 2026/27 season.
The warning was issued on Friday by the NPFL’s Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, during an orientation and induction programme for the owners and general managers of the four newly promoted clubs in Abuja.
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Owumi explained that the programme was organised to familiarise the clubs with the league’s operational procedures and licensing requirements ahead of the new campaign.
“The purpose is orientation and induction, to ensure they understand the basics of what we do in the NPFL and to break down the club licensing process so everyone knows what is expected,” Owumi said.
“We still have enough time before the league begins. This is the right period to acquaint them with what lies ahead. Those who cannot meet the requirements will know early enough.”
He clarified that the league had not yet carried out formal assessments of the promoted clubs, stressing that the current exercise was focused on education rather than inspection.
“We are just interacting with them for the first time. We have not tested them in any way. After this education, if they are unable to meet the requirements in the coming weeks, then we will identify those that are deficient,” he added.
Owumi reiterated that the NPFL would continue to enforce strict compliance with club licensing regulations, particularly in the areas of stadium facilities, security and medical standards.
“Any club that does not meet the standard requirements will be moved from its home ground. We have always enforced these rules because professional football demands the right infrastructure,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the promoted clubs, Sporting Lagos Chairman Godwin Enakhena described the orientation as timely and beneficial, noting that it exposed participants to important aspects of league administration.
“The day you stop learning and reading, then there’s a big problem. Even for me, there were issues discussed today that opened my mind. I would have been ignorant of those things if I wasn’t at this seminar,” Enakhena said.
Expressing confidence in the readiness of the newly promoted sides, Enakhena said Sporting Lagos, Wikki Tourists, Barau FC and Doma United were all familiar with the demands of top-flight football.
“You don’t struggle to gain promotion and then you’re not ready for the battle. Based on my conversations with the other club managers, I can assure you the four teams are ready,” he stated.
Enakhena also welcomed the growing number of privately owned clubs in the NPFL, describing the trend as a positive development for Nigerian football.
He expressed hope that privately run clubs would eventually dominate the top flight, suggesting a structure where 70 per cent of the teams are privately owned and 30 per cent government-owned.
“I’m seeing more private clubs getting to the Premier League. Let’s have 70 per cent privately owned clubs and 30 per cent government clubs. That would be a fantastic development for Nigerian football,” he concluded.
