Lawal Abiodun, president and head coach of Utility Sports Football Club, has called for a comprehensive restructuring of Nigerian football, arguing that the recent NPFL reforms announced by the National Sports Commission can only deliver lasting success if deeper structural issues in the domestic game are also addressed.

Abiodun, who also serves as chief executive of Utility Pro Scouting Management Agency, welcomed the proposed reforms, particularly the planned increase in players’ pay. However, he cautioned that the initiative could place significant financial strain on privately owned clubs unless government introduces sustainable support mechanisms, warning the idea could put a lot of pressure on private teams unable to afford it.

He identified weak football administration and inadequate government backing as major obstacles to growth in the domestic league, pointing to years of neglect at grassroots level and the near total absence of grants or financial support for developing clubs.

Abiodun argued that football needs to be run as a genuine business rather than treated as recreation, noting that the sport is a multi-billion-dollar global industry that Nigeria has yet to properly tap into. He also questioned the financial transparency of government owned clubs, calling for greater accountability in how public funds are managed within football.

He urged the government to create incentives that would draw private investors into establishing and sustaining football clubs, arguing that stronger private ownership would generate jobs for young people while speeding up talent development nationwide. Abiodun pointed to the former League Management Company’s incentive scheme, which rewarded clubs for fielding young players, as a practical policy that had a positive effect on player development.

He believes a holistic reform prioritising accountability, sustainable funding, grassroots development, and private sector participation would strengthen the NPFL, help Nigerian clubs compete more favourably across Africa, and ultimately produce better players for the Super Eagles.