Doma United are top of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). They beat Enyimba 2-0 on Saturday. It was their third win in three games. Nine points. Plus five goal difference. Barau sit second on seven points after a 3-1 win over Ranchers Bees. Bendel Insurance are third on six after a 4-2 thriller against Kun Khalifat.
Enyimba are Nigeria’s most successful club. They won the CAF Champions League in 2003 and 2004. No other Nigerian club has done that. They have won the domestic league a record nine times. In 2022, they reached the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup. The decline since then has been steep. The club has faced ownership disputes, player strikes and funding shortfalls. The current NPFL season has laid the problem bare.
Enyimba sit 19th with zero points. They have conceded three goals and scored none. The loss to Doma United followed defeats in their opening two fixtures. This is not a slow start. It is a collapse. The club that once beat Africa’s best cannot beat a side from Gombe.
Inter Lagos are bottom on minus five goal difference. They lost the Lagos derby 0-3 to Sporting Lagos. Three games, three losses. The club is new to the top flight and looks out of its depth. Warri Wolves sit 18th, also without a point. The bottom three have conceded a combined nine goals and scored none.
At the other end, Doma United are the story. A club from Gombe with no major honours is setting the pace. Barau are matching them on goals. Bendel Insurance are rebuilding after years of decline. The league is young, and early form can fade. But the contrast is stark. The established giants are falling. The smaller clubs are rising.
Kwara United won their first game, beating Katsina United 3-0. Abia Warriors drew 2-2 with Ikorodu City. Niger Tornadoes drew 1-1 with Plateau United.
Winners: Doma United, which tops the table on merit. Barau, Bendel Insurance and Ikorodu City, which occupy the top four. Sporting Lagos, which won the Lagos derby and local bragging rights. Losers: Enyimba, which sits 19th with no points. Inter Lagos, which is rooted to the bottom. Warri Wolves, which is also pointless. The NPFL’s brand, which suffers when its biggest club fails.
Bottom Line: Doma United lead the table. Enyimba are 19th. The NPFL does not care about history. It only counts the points.