Sunday Oliseh Demands Higher NPFL Salaries and Better Player Welfare to Halt Nigeria Brain Drain

Sunday Oliseh, the former Super Eagles captain and midfielder, has added his voice to growing calls for structural reform in Nigerian domestic football, specifically targeting the poor salary conditions and welfare standards that players in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) currently endure.

Speaking during an interview with Brila FM, Oliseh framed football not as entertainment but as a profession with real economic consequences for those who play it. “Football is a business. It is what players use to pay their bills, support their families, and secure their future,” he said.

The former midfielder identified financial instability as a central driver behind the continued exodus of Nigerian talent to leagues abroad. While the movement of players overseas is often attributed to ambition or exposure, Oliseh argued that basic economic necessity plays an equally significant role — one that administrators have been slow to address.

Central to his argument was the issue of payment consistency. Oliseh maintained that even modest wages, when paid reliably and on schedule, provide players with the financial foundation needed to build stable lives. “Even if the salary is modest, regular payment makes a huge difference,” he explained.

Drawing on his own experience as a player in Nigeria, Oliseh contrasted the current environment with conditions during his playing days, suggesting that reliability — not necessarily scale — was the key difference. “When we played, we were never owed salaries for months. The amount may not have been huge, but it was reliable,” he said. “People raised families and planned their futures through consistent savings.”

Oliseh’s comments reflect a broader structural concern within Nigerian football. Salary arrears have been a recurring complaint among NPFL players, with clubs in various seasons reportedly going months without meeting their financial obligations to squads. The issue has been cited in player disputes, contract terminations, and registration problems across the league.

The former captain was direct in placing responsibility on football administrators, urging empathy alongside reform. “If you want players to stay in Nigeria, then the league must be conducive and properly managed. Don’t blame people for trying to feed their families. Put yourself in their situation. Everyone wants a better life and stability,” he said.

Oliseh, who captained Nigeria and earned over 60 international caps during a career that included spells at clubs such as Ajax, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund, represented the Super Eagles at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. He later served as head coach of the Super Eagles between 2015 and 2016. His standing in Nigerian football gives weight to his calls for reform at the domestic level.

The NPFL is currently in its 2024/25 season, with clubs competing for the title and continental spots. Whether the league’s governing body, the League Management Company (LMC), will respond to Oliseh’s public intervention with concrete policy measures remains to be seen. His remarks, however, contribute to mounting pressure on Nigerian football stakeholders to professionalise the league’s financial operations if they are serious about retaining homegrown talent.