Governing Bodies
NPFL at 33: What a league of one-season hot shots
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
One of the obvious observations in the Nigerian professional league which clocks 33 years today is the lack of consistent scorers.
In the 33 years of professional league in Nigeria, only one top scorer ever established himself in the national team, the Super Eagles.
Ahmed Musa unofficially remains the sole ambassador for the Nigeria Professional Football League as the only season’s top scorer to have made impact in the national team.
Among the present crop of the Super Eagles, Musa is the best to have been fully home groomed. With his 18 goals, he topped the scorer’s chart in the season 2009/2010 when he featured for Kano Pillars.
That he is Nigeria’s fastest scorer and the only one to have twice scored brace in the World Cup are cherished honours to the pacy striker.
When he topped the goal chart with his 18 goals in 2010, Musa erased the age-long 17 goals scored by Ishaya Audu in the premier season of 1990.
But what happened to the remaining 31 top scorers of the 33-year old Nigeria Professional Football League?
They more or less turned to be ‘one-season wonders’. No Nigerian international, whether home groomed or those entertaining the global audiences in the various fields seems getting close to erasing the 37 goal mark of Rashidi Yekini for the national team.
The closest player to the goal mark is the retired Aiyegbeni Yakubu who had 20 goals, 17 behind Yekini’s. Nigeria’s league top scorers have always found it difficult to replicate forms in the subsequent seasons.
Perhaps only Abubakar Babale of Sunshine Stars emerged the 2007/2008 top scorer with 14 goals and was in contention for the top scorer award in the 2008/2009 season.
Most of the top scorers have had difficulties breaking into the Super Eagles’ squad. It was only in 2009 that Joseph Akpala, joint top scorer with 12 goals along with Timothy Anjembe in 2005, scored against France in a friendly match. He had since faded out.
Nigeria is therefore still in search of consistent lethal strikers in its professional league. Take a look at all the domestic league’s top scorers since 1990 especially 1990 a pathetic picture is painted.
Pace-setter, Ishaya Jatau who scored 17 goals for Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1990, was not capped more than five times for the Super Eagles. He scored only once – the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Republic of Benin, in Cotonou on September 30, 1990.
He had earlier been called up to the national team that featured in 1989 ECOWAS Cup after he had performed well with his former club of the season, Highlanders of Jos.
His poor marksmanship at the ECOWAS Cup cost him a place in the team that later featured in the Algeria’90 African Cup of Nations. He returned to the national team and scored a consolatory goal against Benin Republic in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
His many misses in the match did not impress Coach Clemens Westerhof. In 1991, he scored just six goals in the league before travelling to Cote d’Ivoire which was then the transit point for Nigerian players seeking career in Europe.
Jatau did even better than the others. Subsequent top scorers of the league from 1991 to 1999 couldn’t break into the Super Eagles. For instance, Olumide Harris, then a young enterprising player of Shooting Stars scored 14 goals to top the chart in the 1994 season.
Months later in January 1995, he was a shadow of himself in the Under 20 side, the Flying Eagles that crumbled at the African Youth Championship hosted by Nigeria. He did not score in a championship he was tipped to be the major attraction.
In a similar vein, Eddie Dombraiye of the then Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland) was a top scorer in 1998 after hitting the net 13 times. He was drafted to the Under –21 side featuring in the 1999 World Youth Championship to be the hit man.
Like Olumide Harris, Dombraiye did not make much impact in the team and later travelled abroad to Poland and played for LKS Lodz. The top scorer for the 1998 Season, Hassan Minda of Gombe United was not even capped by the national team.
In 1991, Bendel United’s Richard Ojomo scored 12 goals to emerge the league’s hot shot. He was one of the two players of the season to have scored hat trick when he put in three goals in a 5-2 home win against Ranchers Bees in a Week 22 match.
Gabriel Okolosi of Julius Berger was the other hat trick achiever. Ojomo who was already in the twilight of his career in the 1991 season did not even have a call-up into the national team.
Arthur Moses, a Ghanaian and the first foreigner to win the hot shot award of the Professional League put in 10 goals in 1992 season while featuring for Super Stores. The following season, he scored just three goals.
He later moved to Europe where he featured for different clubs in France – Toulon, Olympic Marseille and Nimes. He got a couple of call-ups into Ghana Black Stars and featured in the 1998 African Nations Cup finals in Burkina Faso.
Tony Nwigwe of Iwuanyanwu Nationale who emerged top scorer with his 13 goals in 1993 also got a couple of call-ups into the Super Eagles. He, however, could not find the net. It was in this period that Rashidi Yekini was in his deadliest form and easily overshadowed other contending scorers in the national team.
The top scorers after him – Olumide Harris (Shooting Stars), Ben Agadah (Gombe United), Peter Anyilobi (Enyimba), Paul Kpougoul (Jasper United/BCC Lions) and Emma Agbo (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), Ibenegbu Okechuku (El Kanemi), Ameh Aruwa (Kaduna United), Abubakar Ibrahim Babale (Wikki Tourists/Sunshine Stars) and Akarandut Orok (Akwa United) – did not earn places in the Super Eagles.
Ben Agadah scored 12 goals for Gombe United to emerge the top scorer in 1995. He had moved into oblivion ever since. First he moved to Cameroun and then returned to Nigeria. Likewise Peter Anyilobi, the Enyimba striker whose nine goals fetched him the highest scorer award in 1996. Interestingly the nine goals were scored in the first stanza of the league before the player opted to further his career in Germany.
Other players could not catch up with him. In Germany, Anyilobi first featured for FC 08 Homburg in 1998/99 season before moving to Pirmasens. Paul Kpoughoul played for two clubs: Jasper United and BCC Lions to emerge top scorer in 1997. His total of 16 was just one behind the record set by Ishaya Jatau in 1990.
Emmanuel Agbo scored 14 goals in 1999 for Iwuanyanwu Nationale and was called up for the Under-23 team preparing for the Sydney Olympics but was not firmly established in the team. Like other top scorers in the past, he had his eyes in Europe and later joined SW Bregenz of Austria.
The next hot shot to be in the Super Eagles was Peter Ijeh in 2002. He had featured for Julius Berger in 2000 and topped the goal chart with his 14 goals. He ventured to Norway and resumed his goal scoring spree. Just one match as a substitute in the Super Eagles’ friendly game against Jamaica in Lagos was enough to dismiss him.
Uche Okereke of Rangers who emerged top scorer with 13 goals in 2001 had just one cap, an away game against Zambia in Chingola and that ended his international career. In 2002, Victor Ezeji of Dolphins and Ghana’s Joetex Frimpong (El Kanemi) were joint top scorers with 16 goals each. Ezeji was capped only twice for Nigeria. First, coming as a substitute in an African Nations Cup qualifier against Angola on September 8, 2002 and another LG Cup match against Libya in Tripoli, where he scored his only international goal in a 2-1 loss to the hosts.
What then is wrong with the Nigerian league’s top scorers that they don’t live up to the standard expected of them in subsequent seasons and also in the national team? This is begging for answers!
Top scorers who failed to make impact in Super Eagles
1990-Ishaya Jatau (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), 17 goals
1991-Richard Ojomo (Bendel United), 12 goals
1992-Arthur Moses (Super Stores), 10 goals
1993-Tony Nwigwe (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), 13 goals
1994-Olumide Harris (Shooting Stars), 14 goals
1995-Ben Agadah (Gombe United), 12 goals
1996-Peter Anyiolobi (Enyimba), 9 goals
1997-Paul Kpoughoul (Jasper United/BCC Lions), 16 goals
1998-Hassan Minda (Gombe United), 14goals
1999-Emmanuel Agbo (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), 14 goals
2000-Peter Ijeh (Julius Berger), 14 goals
2001-Uche Okereke (Enugu Rangers), 13 goals
2002-Joetex Frimpong (El-Kanemi), Victor Ezeji (Dolphins), 16 goals
2003-Chibuzor Ozurumba (Iwuanyanwu), Endurance Idahor (Julius Berger) 12 goals each
2004-Kabiru Alausa (Berger), 13 goals
2005-Timothy Anjembe (Lobi Stars), Joseph Akpala (Insurance), Charles Omokaro (Sharks), 12 goals each
2006 -Ibenebu Ikechukwu (El Kanemi), 10 goals
2007 – Ameh Aruwa (Kaduna United), 10 goals
2007/2008 – Abubakar Babale (Wikki Tourist/Sunshine Stars), 14 goals
2008/2009 – Akarandut Orok (Akwa United), 17 goals
2009/2010 – Ahmed Musa (Kano Pillars), 18 goals. (The only one established in Super Eagles)
2010/2011 – Jude Aneke (Kaduna United) 20 Goals
2011/2012 – Sibi Gwar (Niger Tornadoes) 17 goals
2012/213 – Victor Namo (Nasarawa United) 18 goals
2013/2014 – Mfon Udoh (Enyimba) 23 goals
2014/2015 – Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves) 17 goals
2015/2016 – Godwin Obaje (Wikki Tourists) 18 goals
2016/2017 – Anthony Okpotu (Lobi Stars) 19 goals
2017/2018 – Junior Lokosa ( Kano Pillars) 19
2018/2019 – Mfon Udoh (Akwa Utd) & Ibrahim Sunusi (Nasarawa Utd) 10 goals
2020/2021 – Silas Nwankwo Nasarawa United
The FIFA Museum in Zurich has launched a new special exhibition titled Innovation in Action: Football Technologies on and off the Pitch, offering visitors an unprecedented glimpse into how innovation is transforming the world’s most popular sport.
Opened on Monday, October 1, 2025, the immersive showcase was developed in collaboration with the FIFA Innovation Team and other departments within world football’s governing body. It explores how cutting-edge technology supports players, referees, and fans—enhancing performance, ensuring fairness, and enriching the overall football experience—while preserving the game’s passion and human spirit.
“What makes this exhibition truly special is that we can give visitors a never-before-seen behind-the-scenes look that allows them to step inside football innovation, experiencing it hands-on rather than just reading about it,” said Marco Fazzone, Managing Director of the FIFA Museum. “We offer a glimpse at technologies and tools that fans don’t normally get to experience up close, while also showing how innovation has evolved over almost 100 years of FIFA World Cup history.”
Organised around five themed sections — Broadcasting & Media, Intelligent Data, Refereeing & Fair Play, Staging the Game, and the Innovation Lab — the exhibition blends rare artefacts with interactive displays. Visitors can relive football’s broadcast evolution, from the black-and-white footage of the 1954 World Cup to today’s ultra-slow motion 4K replays, and even step into a virtual referee booth to experience the pressures of officiating in real time.
Among the standout features is the FIFA Player App, which allows fans to explore Chelsea star Cole Palmer’s performance statistics from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final, illustrating how data helps players refine their craft.
Another exhibit showcases Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan’s water bottle from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 — marked with opponents’ penalty data — revealing how analytics influence critical moments.
Visitors can also view a referee body camera used at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, giving a fresh perspective on decision-making from the official’s point of view.
The exhibition invites visitors to engage directly with football technology. They can test their reflexes and judgment as referees, operate goal-line technology systems, or assume the role of a broadcast director managing live match feeds. Data enthusiasts can analyse player movements, while aspiring innovators can design their own football tech concepts inside the Innovation Lab.
Innovation in Action runs until 31 March 2026 at the FIFA Museum in Zurich. Entry is included with a standard museum ticket.
With its rich mix of storytelling, interactivity, and history, the exhibition promises to be a must-see experience for anyone passionate about the future of the beautiful game.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that football could not solve conflicts, but it must carry a message of peace and unity as Israel’s military operation in Gaza and other global tensions fuel calls for the sport to take a stand.
“At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world,” Infantino told a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich where he met Palestinian federation president Jibril Rajoub.
“Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.”
Infantino said world football’s governing body could not solve geopolitical crises, but “it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”
“I met Palestinian Football Association (PFA) President Jibril Rajoub today at the Home of FIFA in Zurich to discuss the ongoing situation in the Middle East region,” Infantino later wrote on Instagram.
“I commend President Rajoub and the PFA for their resilience at this time and I reiterated to him FIFA’s commitment to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world.”
FIFA has faced repeated calls to act over the war in Gaza, with Palestinian officials pressing for Israel to be suspended from international football.
The issue has been under review by FIFA for months, but no decision has been taken. Infantino has consistently said such matters require consensus with the confederations and must be handled with caution.
The comments came a day after FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani noted that any decision over Israel’s participation in European competitions, including World Cup qualifiers, was a matter for UEFA to decide, effectively putting the onus on the European body.
“First and foremost, it (Israel) is a member of UEFA, no different than I have to deal with a member of my region for whatever reason… They have to deal with that,” Montagliani told reporters at the Leaders sports business conference on Wednesday.
Israel are third in Europe’s Group I of the qualifying stage for next year’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Amnesty International on Wednesday sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israel Football Association.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed reports suggesting that its Statutes will be amended at this year’s Annual General Assembly (AGA), insisting that no such plans are on the table for the September 27 meeting.
In a statement, the Federation stressed that the ongoing conversation around its Statutes remains at a preliminary stage and that suggestions of imminent changes are unfounded.
Ahead of the AGA, the NFF will host a workshop on September 26, bringing together representatives of its members, as well as officials from FIFA and CAF. According to the Federation, the forum is strictly consultative, designed to deliberate on proposals for new Statutes in line with the principles of good governance and international best practices.
The NFF explained that only after consensus is reached with its members will a separate General Assembly be convened to formally consider and adopt any proposed Statute changes.
“The NFF remains committed to due process, transparency, and working hand-in-hand with its General Assembly Members, FIFA, and CAF,” the statement read.
“The ultimate goal is to establish enduring Statutes that will strengthen governance, broaden representation, and promote inclusivity within Nigerian football.”
The Federation added that the long-term reform framework is aimed at ensuring stability and progress across its structures and enhancing the participation of all stakeholders in the country’s football administration.
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