It was cheering to see one of the foremost and widely followed clubs in our domestic league; Insurance of Benin returned to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) exactly 11 years after their relegation to the lower division.
Insurance cemented their promotion to the elite division after securing six points from two matches in the Nigerian National League (NNL) Super Eight play-off at the Enyimba Stadium, Aba.
Playing in the Southern Zone, Insurance had earlier defeated Delta Force 3-0 before defeating Remo Stars 1-0 on Monday in their second match.
A goal from fans favourite, Junior Osagie ensured that the Benin Arsenal accrue maximum points after two matches to secure promotion with a match left.
Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Godwin Dudu-Orumen, has already assured that the club would focus on maintaining their status in the NPFL when the season begins on January 13.
“Insurance that people see today is a product of many years’ efforts and hard work put in place to ensure the realisation of this dream. The darling club of the Edo people had been away from topflight football for a long time and our sports-loving governor ensured that we got all the support needed to achieve that dream,” he said.
“The team have a lot of young players, who are hungry for glory. But the focus is to finish as high as possible in the abridged NPFL when the season begins. It will be foolhardy to gain promotion and return to relegation the same season, so we will ensure a correct blend of youth and experience to remain in the topflight.
“After that, we will then work on winning titles in the league and achieve continental qualification as well.”
