The city of Ikenne has been more than alive since Sunday, April 27, 2025, after Remo Stars were confirmed as winners of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). On matchday 35 at their home stadium in Ikenne, the Sky Blue Stars sealed a 1-0 victory over Niger Tornadoes to clinch their first-ever league title in their 15-year history. Remarkably, they also became the first private club to win the NPFL since the now-defunct Julius Berger achieved the feat in 2000.

In a league like the NPFL, where the fate of champions, top-four finishers, and relegated sides is often decided on the final match day, Remo Stars wrapped up the title with three games to spare. This came after two consecutive second-place finishes since their return to the top flight in 2021. Far from a simple tale of patience, Remo Stars’ triumph reflects years of deliberate planning and an unwavering commitment to improvement in a league where survival instincts usually trump structured development.

Strategic investment and focus have been central to Remo Stars’ project. While there has long been a clamour for more private ownership in the NPFL due to over 90 per cent of teams being government-run and often poorly managed, few private clubs have convincingly shown that privatisation can drive lasting improvement in the league. We have seen clubs like Ifeanyi Ubah, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM FC), and Vandrezzer rise, even win titles, only to fade into oblivion.

Remo Stars, however, seem set on avoiding this trend. Their foundation is sturdier, thanks to the vision of owner Kunle Soname, a business magnate and sports enthusiast committed to Nigeria’s sports development.

Under Soname’s ownership over the past 15 years, the sporting institution in Remo has grown into a model Nigerian sporting institution. The progressive framework behind the Sky Blue Stars also cascades to two other levels: the women’s team (Remo Stars Ladies) and their youth academy, Beyond Limits.

Operating a structure that spans U10 to U17, Beyond Limits Football Academy has proven its value over the years. The youth side boasts a trophy cabinet with four Creative Championship (TCC) titles, one TCC Cup title, the Viareggio Cup, and the NPFL Youth League (U15) across different categories. The academy, which has also been serving as a channel for the club to integrate promising players into the senior team and for sales to foreign clubs, won the Nigeria National League (NNL) last season. However, due to same-ownership regulations, they had to forfeit participation in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). Meanwhile, Remo Stars Ladies, founded in 2023, are now in the race to win the NWFL after qualifying for the Super Eight playoffs.

Early signs of growth from Remo’s structured approach are visible in the academy and women’s team, yet it is the men’s team that reflects the full maturity of their vision. Before becoming a mainstay in the NPFL in 2021, Remo Stars had a fluctuating status in the league following their inaugural promotion in 2016. However, instead of exploiting the NPFL’s unorthodox framework that allows for slot buying into the topflight, the club’s hierarchy stuck to gradual talent development and recalibration, rather than taking the backdoor route that’s liable to compromise the true test of ability. 

The proof of how the decision has paid off is evident over the years and has now climaxed into a historic achievement. In addition to their on-field progression, Remo Stars are equally raising the standards of welfare within Nigerian football by maintaining a fair compensation structure for players and coaches, flexible and athlete-focused travel arrangements, and a clear development pathway from the academy to the senior team and onto foreign clubs. 

Crucially, the impact of their head coach Daniel Ogunmodede has also been instrumental to the club’s triumph. Ogunmodede, who joined the club in 2015, spent six years as an assistant coach and youth director before becoming head coach in 2021. Since then, he has overseen a steady climb: third-place finish in 2022, back-to-back second-place finishes in 2023 and 2024, and now, a title-winning campaign.

This season wasn’t without its challenges. Ogunmodede occasionally missed games due to national team duties with the Super Eagles, leaving assistant coach Sulaiman to step in. Still, the Portuguese-trained gaffer’s influence has been far-reaching. The discipline, mentality, and poise needed of a top coach are evident in the 44-year-old, who has consistently willed the team back from disadvantageous positions. This was on full display when he delivered a stinging critique of the Blue Stars’ lifeless first-half performance against Abia Warriors in January. His halftime talk instilled the drive needed for a second-half comeback, sealing a 3-2 victory.

His tactical imprint on the team is profound. Team rotation has been key, and impactful substitutions have secured crucial wins, like against Tornadoes on Sunday, when Olamilekan Adedayo came off the bench to send Ikenne Stadium into a triumphant frenzy that will be remembered for years to come.

The absence of a major trophy had long been the biggest missing piece in Remo Stars’ story. With that box now ticked, the belief in the project can only grow stronger from here. Sitting 10 points above second-placed Rivers United, who at a point looked on course to win their second NPFL title, Remo Stars will be away at El-Kanemi Warriors for matchday 36 before returning to Ikenne for their coronation in the penultimate gameweek against Ikorodu City, their Southwest neighbours and the revelation of the season so far. 

What’s brewing in Ikenne is no fluke, and it now has all the necessary components to serve as inspiration to similar private institutions like Ikorodu City and Sporting Lagos. While these Lagos-based outfits may still be in the early stages of their journey, Remo Stars possess the depth, quality and momentum to retain the NPFL, a feat last achieved by Kano Pillars over a decade ago.