Imperious Remo Stars deserve their flowers

Remo Stars are no doubt in a celebratory mood following their historic victory in the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season. On Sunday, April 27, the Ikenne-based side won their first-ever NPFL title after 15 years in the Nigerian topflight. They had suffered two heartbreaks recently, finishing second in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. […]

Remo Stars are no doubt in a celebratory mood following their historic victory in the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season. On Sunday, April 27, the Ikenne-based side won their first-ever NPFL title after 15 years in the Nigerian topflight. They had suffered two heartbreaks recently, finishing second in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But their moment in the sun came when they defeated Niger Tornadoes 1-0 in a pulsating Match day 35 encounter to win the 2025 league title with three matches remaining.

Remo Stars’ closest rivals, Rivers United, had suffered a fatal blow to their title aspirations when they lost 0-2 to Pillars in the other week 35 match played 48 hours earlier at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. The result in Kano paved the way for Remo Stars to beat Tornadoes and open an unassailable 10-point gap on United, who have 58 points.

As it is, even if Remo Stars lose their remaining three matches, nothing will take them off the top of the log. They are now awaiting coronation on May 11 when they host regional rivals, Ikorodu City in week 37.

Their victory isn’t a surprise to anyone because they had set forth at dawn. It will be recalled that the Sky Blue Stars kicked off the season with a crucial away win at Abia Warriors. From there, they didn’t look back, producing an impressive record of 21 wins, 5 draws, 9 defeats, 68 points, 45 goals for, 25 against, with a goal difference of plus 20 in 35 matches.

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Almost everyone is proud of what Remo Stars have achieved in 21 years of its existence. According to available records, the club debuted in 2004 as FC Dender at Ketu, Lagos when a Nigerian billionaire and business tycoon, Kunle Soname, decided to invest in Nigerian football. It is, therefore, a thing of immense pride to many that the proprietor of the club has demonstrated how best to run a professional football club.

Indeed, Soname has used his club to prove that apart from providing the much needed infrastructure, no government should have any business with direct ownership of clubs. Elsewhere, individuals and communities own and sponsor football clubs, ensuring that such clubs outlive generations. But in Nigeria, state governments float clubs just to enrich their cronies. Therefore, most NPFL clubs exist as conduit pipes used in siphoning public funds every month. Yes, there are clubs that receive monthly allocation of over N40 million, yet they struggle with relegation every season. Sadly, such clubs don’t contribute a dime to the internally generated revenue of the states.

Remo Stars have come to shine the light for others to follow. As they celebrate their historic victory, this moment should inspire other club owners to remain committed to their vision. Therefore, proud club owners like my good friend, Malam Farouk Yarma of FC Yarmalight, Suleiman Umar of Doma United, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki of Mailantarki FC and a host of other academy owners should be motivated by Remo Stars’ success to hold tightly to their dreams. Moreover, when there is a will, there is always a way, no matter the odds.

However, it is necessary to re-emphasise that Remo Stars’ latest achievement didn’t come on a platter. If asked to speak on his experiences in the NPFL, Soname may have little or no pleasant memories to share with anyone. However, he persevered to reach this milestone. Even as the environment may be quite toxic, he is gradually benefitting from his huge investment in Remo Stars. Now, there is no season that the club does not make profit from the sale of players to foreign clubs. This is what no government-owned club can boast of.

Many of us are therefore hopeful that Remo Stars would strive to maintain the professionalism that has made them a shining example in the NPFL.

Obviously, the proper management and utilisation of human and material resources is the secret behind today’s success story. It is also necessary to highlight that Remo Stars are thriving because only the best players are admitted into the club. Since it is a business-oriented outfit, there is no single space for what is called ‘government’ or ‘political’ players. These are half-baked players who are usually forced on the government clubs by politicians and top government officials.

None of such unprofessional acts are associated with Remo Stars. They are distinctive on and off the field of play. In fact, no one can question the success story of this club that has emphatically produced five away wins, three away draws without a home defeat in 35 matches. They can still scoop more points in the remaining matches to open more gaps on their closest rivals.

Interestingly, the Sky Blue Stars’ commanding victory is so special that it has caught the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who congratulated them on the historic win. In a related development, Super Eagles star, Victor Osimhen announced a cash reward of N10 million for Remo Stars to appreciate the players and the officials. One is left to imagine what the owner of the club, billionaire Soname, who celebrated his 59th birthday on the day Remo Stars made history, would do at the end of the season. He is known for ‘spoiling’ his boys with cash rewards at every given opportunity.

On the other hand, Remo Stars’ victory has placed a heavy burden on them. This is because getting to the top is not as difficult as staying there. After this success, Remo Stars must strive to emulate their close door neighbours, 3SC, who have won five league titles. They also have the record set by the defunct Iwuanyanwu Nationale to chase. Nationale, called ‘Nazi Millionaires’ won the league four times in a row from 1987 to 1990.

Apart from the Owerri-based club, now known as Heartland, two other clubs, Enyimba and Kano Pillars also won three league titles in a row. The ‘People’s elephants’ achieved the feat between 2001 and 2003 while the ‘Masu Gida’ boys had theirs from 2012 to 2014. These outstanding performances should inspire Remo Stars to look beyond any limit in football.

Most importantly, Remo Stars have a poor record in continental competitions to deal with. Although their performances in the NPFL, culminating into the recent victory, have been encouraging, the Sky Blue Stars have consistently flopped in the continent. In the three years they represented Nigeria in CAF inter-club competitions – once in Confederation Cup and twice in Champions League – Remo Stars didn’t go beyond the first preliminary round. This is an ignominious record they must use the opportunity as the new champions of the NPFL to rewrite.

Honestly, winning the league without justifying the domestic dominance in the continent is nothing more than beautiful nonsense. Remo Stars can avert this by carefully injecting more quality players in key areas. So, the Sky Blue Stars shouldn’t shy away from going into the transfer market to acquire better players for the tough tasks ahead. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.