NPL Board Members

The Board of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) was inaugurated on July 27, 2023 by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau with Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye as Chairman. Other members of the Board are Mohammed Saidu Nasiru, Chairman of Sokoto State Football Association, Daniel Amokachi, ex International and Special Adviser to the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Also on the Board, Barrister Porbeni Ogun and three representatives of the NPFL Clubs namely Chief Sir Okey Kpalukwu of Rivers United, Dominic Iorfa of Lobi Stars and Suleiman Umar of Doma United. Barrister Ibrahim Danlami is the Board Secretary while Prince Davidson Owumi is serving as the Chief Operating Officer.

The board has a two year tenure and are charged with the overall administration, control and development of the apex domestic league in the country.

Chairman
Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye
Elegbeleye is a Politician, Sports Administrator and Businessman who has passed through several cadres in his political and sports administration career. As a Politician, he has governed at the Local Government level as Chairman of Akoko North East LGA of Ondo State, winning laurels in the process and successfully winning elections to the Nigeria second tier Legislative Chambers, the House of Representatives.

Elegbeleye, during his tenure in the National Assembly, served on the House Committee on Sports as Vice Chairman and would later become the Director General of the National Sports Commission in 2013. Earlier in his leadership climb, he was charged with the task of cleaning up his native Ondo State environment as the Chairman, Ondo State Waste Management Authority where his performance led to the state capital, Akure being adjudged the second best city in cleanliness by a Federal Agency in 2013.

His appointment to lead the Board of NPL is a direct outcome from his performance as Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), a body that supervised the rebirth of the league. The IMC was acclaimed by stakeholders for the transparent and smooth sailing organisation of the 2022/23 season that ended on a high with an eye catching Super 6 Play-off at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan Lagos.

Elegbeleye holds a Bachelor degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and a Masters from Ondo State University. He has served on the Boards of the Abuja Investment Company, the Nigeria Railway Corporation and is a Member of the Eminent Focal Persons of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group. A man of tradition and culture, he holds the title of Otunba of Ikare Kingdom and is married with children.

Daniel Owefin Amokachi
Amokachi is a former football star who served recently as a Special Adviser on Sports to the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. An accomplished Professional Football player, he was an integral member of the Super Eagles squad that won the African Nations Cup in Tunisia in 1994 and Olympic gold in Atlanta, USA in 1996.

In 1989, he won the best young footballer award at the West African Club Championship. In 1992 and 1994, he won the Belgian Ebony Shoes Award. He won the International Honorary Award of Sportsmen of Turkey in 2015 and was listed as the 18th player in Africa for the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

As assistant coach to Stephen Keshi at the 2013 AFCON, Amokachi was conferred with the Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON, award for the team’s victory by former President, Goodluck Jonathan. Amokachi is married to Nadia, a Tunisian and they have a set of twin sons named; Kalim and Nazim. Both kids are following in their father’s footsteps in becoming footballers and are currently in the Besiktas youth academy.

Chief Okechukwu

Kpalukwu, KSC, PhD, FCAI, GMS, JP.

Kpalukwu rose through the ranks to the position of Director of Administration in the Rivers State Ministry of Sports.

Among other important Football Administrative positions he has held are, General Manager of the defunct Sharks FC of Port Harcourt, Alternate Board Director of the NPFL during the administration of the defunct League Management Company, and Executive Director of the NPFL.

Kpalukwu is currently serving as the General Manager of former League Champions, Rivers United, a position he has held since the inception of the club in 2014. He was recently elected the Chairman of the NPFL Club Owners Association.

Married with children, Sir Kpalukwu holds a doctorate degree in Political Science and Administrative Studies, a Certificate in the Nigeria Football Federation Transfer Management System (NFF/TMS), and a FIFA Administrative Officers Certificate. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria in Public Administration.

Saidu Mohammed Nasiru is a graduate of Pure Mathematics and Business Administration.

He has over five years experience as Director, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in an International Fund for Agricultural Development funded but World Bank Supervised Agricultural and Community Development Project.

Nasiru also worked four years as a Statistician with the National Population Commission (NPC) and five years with The Sokoto State Polytechnic where he rose to the rank of Deputy Registrar (Planning & Statistics).

He has 19 years of experience working in the National Assembly at various times as Clerk of the House of Representatives Committees on Legislative Budget and Research, Appropriations, Marine Transport, and Finance, and currently Director and Head of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office [NABRO].

In football, Nasiru has worked in various strategic administrative positions including as Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the maiden edition of the hugely successful 2023 edition of The NAIJA Super8. He is the Chairman of Sokoto State Football Association.

Dominic Iorfa
Dominic Iorfa is among the longest serving sports administrators in Nigeria as of today and remains one of the leading football personalities in the country. A former Nigerian International, who had a distinguished career as a professional footballer in clubs across three continents; Africa, Europe and Asia, he is one of the few footballers who easily switched from playing the game to administering a football club.

As a footballer, Iorfa was a trailblazer and the experience has helped him as an administrator. It is no surprise that he is one of the longest serving club administrators in the country.

Well respected for his ability to identify and transform grassroots talents, Iorfa is the first ex-internationals to serve as Board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Premier Football League. As a club administrator, he has made Lobi Stars, one of the leading football club brands in the country. Back in 2003, he led the club to their first Nigerian Cup title coming as the underdogs to shock favourites, Sharks, in Kaduna.

Two decades after, Iorfa still remains passionate about the club and Nigerian football. Interestingly, he combined his role as Club Chairman and Head Coach briefly in 2012 when he almost won the Nigerian double. From being the first Nigerian not born in England to play in the old Division One League with the famous Queens Park Rangers FC, in 1990, Iorfa became the first African to play in Turkey when he signed for Istanbul giants, Galatasaray, in 1991.

He was also the first Nigerian to play in Scotland, China and Hong Kong, respectively. Former Nigerian Internationals like Taye Taiwo, Michael Eneramo, Tony Okpotu, Stephen Eze and Moses Orkuma all passed through his tutelage at different times. Indeed, football is in the family as his son, also named Dominic, is a player of English Championship side, Sheffield Wednesday.