AFOLABI SAHEED OLAWALE
Kaduna erupted in celebration as Ranchers Bees booked the last ticket to the Nigeria Premier Football League, completing a historic quartet of promoted sides.
The Sadiq Umar Boys have now joined Doma United, Sporting Lagos, and Inter Lagos as the four NNL teams promoted to the NPFL after a tense end to the regular season. And they did it the hard way.
Ranchers Bees fell 2-0 away to hosts Gombe United in a tense encounter on Wednesday. But fate smiled on them in Kebbi, where Kebbi United’s 3-0 win over Jigawa Golden Stars handed the Kaduna side the sole Conference D slot at the expense of a hard-fighting Jigawa side.
Against all odds, Ranchers Bees have gained promotion to the Nigerian elite league in their very first season in the NNL. Insiders credit the club’s owner, whose relentless motivation and provision of the team’s needs throughout the campaign proved decisive.
History has been made. For the first time in Nigerian football, all four clubs promoted from the NNL to the NPFL are privately owned, a bold new chapter for the domestic game.
The four new NPFL sides now shift focus to the NNL Super Four Tournament, which will crown the overall NNL champion and serve as the perfect warm-up for the Big Stage.
The NNL Super Four is scheduled for May 1 to May 8, 2026. Before then, the official draws will be held on April 24, 2026, at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
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