Exclusive: Godwin Enakhena Gives Insight Into 2025/2026 NNL Season, Sporting Lagos’ Dream

As the 2025/2026 Nigeria National League (NNL) season kicks off this Saturday, November 8, a wave of change is sweeping through Nigeria’s second-tier football league.

With a ₦494 million sponsorship deal from betPawa, a new competition format, and clear reforms in place, the NNL looks set to deliver its most professional and rewarding campaign yet.

In an exclusive interview with Naija News, Sporting Lagos chairman and president of the NNL Club Owners Association, Godwin Enakhena, gave a detailed look into what fans should expect when the new season begins.

“One of the many things that happened last season and is being maintained by the Nigeria National League management is sticking to timelines,” Enakhena said.

“The league ended as planned last season with the Super 8 happening in Asaba, the Delta State capital. The Annual General Meeting took place as planned in Kaduna State. We came out of the meeting with the news of the NNL management striking a deal with BETPAWA that will see players and officials earn good money for every win by teams.”

NNL Signs ₦494 Million Deal To Boost Players and Clubs

At the heart of this season’s optimism is the groundbreaking partnership between the NNL and betPawa. The one-year deal, worth over ₦494 million, introduces a direct payment system that rewards players and technical staff immediately after every victory.

“This initiative ensures that 20 players and three technical staff from every winning team receive ₦56,000 each, directly into their mobile money wallets, minutes after the final whistle,” Enakhena explained. “The total payout per winning match per club is ₦1,288,000.”

He also revealed that each game will attract an additional ₦400,000 in league operations support, while ₦8.1 million has been set aside for end-of-season awards to celebrate outstanding performers.

“This partnership with BETPAWA is aimed at motivating players, improving the league’s quality and organization, helping retain talent within the domestic league, and professionalizing Nigerian football,” he said.

Fresh Structure and New Rules for a More Competitive League

The NNL’s 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in Kaduna, endorsed a series of reforms designed to raise the bar for organization, competition, and transparency. This season will see the introduction of a four-conference format: A, B, C, and D, replacing the old Super 8 playoff system.

Under the new arrangement, the top team in each conference will gain automatic promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). The promoted sides will then face off in a Super 4 tournament to decide the overall NNL champion.

“This season, the clubs have decided that teams that topped their groups at the end of the season, four of them, will gain automatic promotion to the NPFL, as against the old format that sees two teams each from the four groups converge in a venue for what is called Super 8 playoffs,” Enakhena explained. “However, the four promoted teams this season will still have a Super 4 event to produce the overall champions of the league.”

The AGM also resolved that any of the four clubs that fail to take part in the Super 4 will automatically lose their promotion spot to the second-placed team in their group.

In a major step toward global visibility, clubs have been directed to livestream all home and away matches, complementing the league’s official broadcast partners.

“These are very interesting developments that will certainly enhance the overall standard of the league,” Enakhena said. “And I say kudos to the NNL board led by Chief George Aluo. Of course, the tremendous support of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, can’t be quantified. He’s a uniquely different leader who practices what he preaches, which is doing things the right way and according to what the rule book says.”

NNL Clubs Back the League Board

Speaking on behalf of the club owners, Enakhena reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a healthy partnership with the NNL board.

“On our side, I as the President of the NNL Club Chairmen Association of Nigeria (NALCOMA), we will cooperate with the league board as long as it’s in the interest of the league and football in Nigeria,” he said. “We enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the board because it’s in our interest to have it this way.”

During the AGM, club owners unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the NNL leadership, applauding the efforts of George Aluo and his team for repositioning the league and securing strategic sponsorships.

The communique from the meeting confirmed the official kickoff date and introduced several operational guidelines. Only NNL/Prostar-branded match balls will be used, every club must insure its players and officials, and stadiums must meet the league’s facility standards before approval.

Sporting Lagos Target a Return to Top Flight

For Sporting Lagos, the goal for the new season is clear, returning to the Nigeria Premier Football League. The Lagos-based side begins its campaign at home against Osun United at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.

“For Sporting Lagos that I am privileged to be the chairman, we’re cooking something that will be ready for eating when the season starts for us by the second week of November with our home game against Osun United at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos,” Enakhena said. “A tip of the iceberg was the meal served our fans and football lovers during the Gold Cup in Ogun State in October which we won. It reminds us of how we qualified for the NPFL with victory at the inaugural Naija Super 8.”

Sporting Lagos will begin the season under Jeffery Butler, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach. Enakhena expressed confidence in his leadership and familiarity with the team’s philosophy.

“We’ve a new head coach who is not new to the team in Jeffery Butler. I think the team is safe in his hands. He was Shola Adegun’s assistant last season, they were part of the youth system,” he said. “Long story short, we want to play in the NPFL next season. That’s where Sporting Lagos belongs.”

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