A social media post by popular Sports enthusiast Alabi Tolulope on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, has sparked serious discussion about the welfare of referees in Nigerian football and the issue of bribery in the local leagues. Tolulope, who had earlier shared figures suggesting that referees in the NNL and NWFL receive close to ₦200,000 per match and those in the NPFL earn ₦600,000 or more, later admitted that the payment structure is not straightforward. According to him, three Nigerian referees contacted him privately after his first post to share their experiences. He said he immediately deleted the earlier post after reading their messages. One referee reportedly said: “Nigerian league referees are poorly paid. NPFL doesn’t pay up to ₦150,000 as match indemnity. NNL only pays about ...