Everyone loves big numbers.
So when reports emerged from the NSC-NFF Partnership Collaboration in Abuja that next season’s NPFL winners could earn a whopping ₦1 billion, with ₦500 million and ₦300 million set aside for second and third place respectively, the immediate reaction was excitement.
And understandably so.
For years, stakeholders have complained about the poor financial rewards in the Nigerian top flight. A billion naira for the champions sounds like progress. It sounds ambitious.
But beneath the excitement lies a question that deserves to be asked.
How does this help the rest of the league?
Because football leagues are not built by taking care of only three clubs.
They’re built by ensuring all 20 clubs have the resources to compete.
Take England for example. Southampton finished bottom of the Premier League last season, yet they still earned over £100 million through television rights and central revenue distributions. The champions earned more, of course, but the difference wasn’t so huge that the teams at the bottom were left to fend for themselves.
That’s not charity. That’s smart business.
The Bundesliga, La Liga and even Major League Soccer all understand one thing: if the bottom clubs are weak, the league itself becomes weak.
The reality is that most NPFL clubs don’t need a billion naira prize at the end of the season.
They need guarantees.
Guarantees that salaries will be paid.
Guarantees that they can travel comfortably for away games.
Guarantees that facilities can be improved.
Guarantees that youth teams and academies can be maintained.
Guarantees that they can actually plan beyond one season.
Right now, too many clubs live from month to month. Some are entirely dependent on state governments. Others struggle with logistics, welfare and infrastructure. Those problems won’t disappear because one club receives ₦1 billion next May.
If anything, it could make the gap even wider.
Imagine if every NPFL club received a guaranteed participation fee from the league’s central revenues. Imagine if there were bonuses tied to final league positions, youth development, stadium improvements and licensing requirements. Imagine if clubs knew at the beginning of every season exactly how much income was guaranteed.
That’s how sustainable leagues are built.
Nobody is saying the champions shouldn’t be richly rewarded. They absolutely should.
But the league itself cannot be treated like a lottery where only three teams hit the jackpot.
Because what happens to the other 17?
Football isn’t a sprint; it’s an ecosystem.
And ecosystems don’t thrive when wealth is concentrated at the top.
A billion naira for the champions makes headlines.
Building a structure that supports every club would change Nigerian football.
The latter is far less glamorous.
But it’s probably what the NPFL needs more.
Everyone loves big numbers.
So when reports emerged from the NSC-NFF Partnership Collaboration in Abuja that next season’s NPFL winners could earn a whopping ₦1 billion, with ₦500 million and ₦300 million set aside for second and third place respectively, the immediate reaction was excitement.
And understandably so.
For years, stakeholders have complained about the poor financial rewards in the Nigerian top flight. A billion naira for the champions sounds like progress. It sounds ambitious.
But beneath the excitement lies a question that deserves to be asked.
How does this help the rest of the league?
Because football leagues are not built by taking care of only three clubs.
They’re built by ensuring all 20 clubs have the resources to compete.
Take England for example. Southampton finished bottom of the Premier League last season, yet they still earned over £100 million through television rights and central revenue distributions. The champions earned more, of course, but the difference wasn’t so huge that the teams at the bottom were left to fend for themselves.
That’s not charity. That’s smart business.
The Bundesliga, La Liga and even Major League Soccer all understand one thing: if the bottom clubs are weak, the league itself becomes weak.
The reality is that most NPFL clubs don’t need a billion naira prize at the end of the season.
They need guarantees.
Guarantees that salaries will be paid.
Guarantees that they can travel comfortably for away games.
Guarantees that facilities can be improved.
Guarantees that youth teams and academies can be maintained.
Guarantees that they can actually plan beyond one season.
Right now, too many clubs live from month to month. Some are entirely dependent on state governments. Others struggle with logistics, welfare and infrastructure. Those problems won’t disappear because one club receives ₦1 billion next May.
If anything, it could make the gap even wider.
Imagine if every NPFL club received a guaranteed participation fee from the league’s central revenues. Imagine if there were bonuses tied to final league positions, youth development, stadium improvements and licensing requirements. Imagine if clubs knew at the beginning of every season exactly how much income was guaranteed.
That’s how sustainable leagues are built.
Nobody is saying the champions shouldn’t be richly rewarded. They absolutely should.
But the league itself cannot be treated like a lottery where only three teams hit the jackpot.
Because what happens to the other 17?
Football isn’t a sprint; it’s an ecosystem.
And ecosystems don’t thrive when wealth is concentrated at the top.
A billion naira for the champions makes headlines.
Building a structure that supports every club would change Nigerian football.
The latter is far less glamorous.
But it’s probably what the NPFL needs more.
