Nigerian domestic football is getting its most ambitious financial overhaul in years, with the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation agreeing a minimum monthly wage of N2 million for NPFL players, Footynaija.com reports.
The previous minimum wage in the league stood at N150,000 per month, a figure so far removed from what players at similar levels earn across Africa that it had long been cited as one of the primary reasons talented Nigerians sought opportunities elsewhere.
The new figure represents a more than 13-fold increase and arrives as part of a broader package of reforms agreed at a high-level meeting on Tuesday at the NSC headquarters in Abuja, attended by NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, NFF General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi and Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle.
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The idea behind the wage floor is straightforward. The NSC believes the measure will help stem the flow of talented players leaving in search of better conditions while making the league more attractive to quality footballers who currently have no financial reason to stay.
Dikko was plain about the standard being set.
“Players must earn a living wage. This is how we build a league that commands respect at home and abroad,” he stated, as confirmed by Sports 247.
The wage announcement was not the only major outcome of the meeting. League champions will receive a record N1 billion prize money from next season, with the runners-up earning N800 million and the third-placed club taking N700 million, numbers that dwarf anything previously offered in Nigerian domestic football.
Enugu Rangers, who won the title last season, received N200 million.
Television coverage was also placed on the agenda. Plans are at an advanced stage to return the NPFL to mainstream broadcasting, and Dikko left no room for ambiguity on the matter.
“Our players must be seen. Our league must be known. Television coverage is non-negotiable,” he said.
Stricter enforcement of club licensing regulations will accompany all of the above, with clubs expected to meet maximum professional standards rather than simply clear minimum requirements.
