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Remo Stars Coach, GBENGA OGUNBOTE
Winning the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in consecutive seasons is one of the most daunting challenges in Nigerian football, and Remo Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, has shed light on why this remains so.
Ogunbote, widely respected in the NPFL and fondly called “Oracle,” believes the peculiar nature of Nigerian football makes it extremely difficult for clubs to establish lasting dominance. According to him, while ambition is high, reality sets in quickly.
“Winning the NPFL once is difficult, but defending the title is even harder,” he said. “The competition is stiff because so many clubs are hungry for success. Every season, there is a new challenger. Then you also have politics and administrative factors that sometimes affect how smoothly things run for teams. All of these make it almost impossible to win the league back-to-back.”
One of the biggest hurdles, Ogunbote explained, is player retention. Nigerian clubs, after doing well in a season, often struggle to keep their key players because other teams in Africa or abroad lure them with better pay and opportunities.
“Players will always want to move when other clubs on the continent or beyond offer them more money. That is our reality. You may build a very strong team, but before the next campaign, you discover that two, three or more of your best legs have gone. Replacing them is one task; getting the new ones to blend into your system quickly is another. That is why continuity is so difficult here,” he said.
He also pointed out that financial instability and lack of long-term planning hold clubs back. “In Europe or North Africa, clubs already know what their squad will look like years ahead, but here in Nigeria, many clubs operate season by season. Once you win the league, expectations are high immediately, but at the same time, you are losing players, changing your squad, and almost starting from scratch. It makes it very difficult to build dynasties,” he added.
For Ogunbote, one of the greatest examples of how extraordinary it is to dominate Nigerian and African football is Enyimba International’s golden era in the early 2000s. The Aba-based club remains the only Nigerian side to have successfully defended the NPFL title in the modern era and to have won the CAF Champions League back-to-back in 2003 and 2004.
Enyimba’s success, he explained, did not come by chance. The club had the financial muscle, political backing, and vision that most NPFL clubs lack today. Under the leadership of Governor Orji Uzor Kalu in Abia State and the guidance of coach Kadiri Ikhana in 2003, Enyimba were able to put together a squad that combined experience, youth, and quality. Players like Vincent Enyeama, Onyekachi Okonkwo, Obinna Nwaneri, and Uga Okpara became household names.
Their first Champions League triumph in 2003 broke a long-standing jinx for Nigerian clubs, as no team from the country had ever won Africa’s premier competition. But what made Enyimba truly special was that they repeated the feat the following year, successfully defending their CAF Champions League crown in 2004.
That same period saw them dominate domestically, winning league titles and building a reputation as a club that could compete with the best in Africa. Their success was built on stability, players were well-paid and motivated, structures were put in place to ensure professionalism, and there was political will from the state government to support the project.
“Enyimba’s back-to-back success is one of the most remarkable achievements in Nigerian football,” Ogunbote admitted. “But if you look closely, they had everything working in their favour, stability, finances, and good management. That is what other clubs lack today, and that is why it is hard to repeat what they did.”
Despite the challenges, Ogunbote remains hopeful about the league’s future. He believes that with better administration and structures, the NPFL can rise to become one of the most respected leagues in Africa.
“In the next five years, I see the NPFL becoming more competitive and more professional if we do the right things. Nigeria is blessed with talent, there are footballers everywhere. What we need is better organization, proper welfare for players, and a system that allows clubs to plan long-term. If we do that, our league will not only grow but also command respect across the continent,” he said.
Ogunbote also opened up about his personal development as a coach. He revealed that he already holds a UEFA B License, which he earned after traveling abroad to study, and is now making plans to return overseas to complete his UEFA A License.
“Coaching is continuous learning,” he said. “I already have my UEFA B, but I am not stopping there. I want to go back abroad and complete my UEFA A License, which is the highest level. That will give me the tools to compete not just in Nigeria but anywhere in the world. It is also about impacting my players and the teams I coach. When you improve yourself as a coach, the players benefit from that knowledge.”
For the man fondly known as “Oracle,” football in Nigeria may be full of obstacles, but it is also full of opportunities. He insists that the key lies in planning, consistency, and vision, the same principles that made Enyimba Africa’s powerhouse two decades ago.
“Football is about planning and consistency. If we get things right, Nigerian clubs will not only win back-to-back titles here but also challenge strongly on the continent like Enyimba did. That is the kind of future I want to see for our league,” he concluded.
By Benprince Ezeh
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