Writing about the Nigerian League has always been a very pitiful and said experience because of the nightmares you recall on and off the pitch as you wonder at times with lost faith when Nigerian football administrators would ever get it right.
The challenges, frustration have seemingly overwhelmed any little achievements that have been gained from the state of the pitches, poor administration of clubs, embezzlement of funds by league and club managers/management, insecurity of match officials, inadequate security at match venues, lack of score board, tattered jerseys by teams, hooliganism, little or no sponsorship to clubsides, poor welfare packages fro players and officials and the crowd keeps losing interests in games especially with the overwhelming influence of European leagues among soccer fans globally.
Yet, the Nigerian League ranks among the best on the continent with players getting out to just any country just to earn some foreign currency as the harsh economic climate back home bites harder.
The present board of the Nigeria Football Federation led by Alhaji Sani Maigari came at a time the league in the country could be termed “dead”
At a stage, the league had run for more than a year. There were postponements at the slightest excuses. Election dates could see a shift in games for months, public holidays, protests across the country and even political campaigns could necessitate the country on the continent and excel.
As such, the Alhaji Aminu maigari led board of the NFF in exercising its rights derived from the Nigerian Football Association Act 1990 as the sole regulatory authority for football in Nigeria and as the owner of the league issued the license to organize and regulate the top tier league to the League Management Company (LMC) for the purpose of organizing and promoting the league to meet global technical and commercial standards.
Following the near collapse of the Nigerian League, the franchise was granted which arose from intractable legal, contractual, administrative and financial impediments.
At a certain stage, the Nigerian league had no sponsor due to contractual differences, the challenge cup had no sponsor and lost its glamour, almost every club across the different categories of leagues in the country were being owed. Nigerian football to a large extent had reached a dead end.
The NFF therefore in November 2012 constituted and inaugurated Interim Management Committee for the league as part of measures to avert a near collapse of the league.
The LMC headed by Veteran journalist and former national lawmaker Rt. Hon. Nduka Irabor and is run as a commercial ventures to make the league viable.
The NFF and participating clubs are major stakeholders having met the necessary requirements.
At the inauguration of the board, league manager where suspicious of the LMC and drew a battle line despite the evident changes with emphasis in players welfare which the body had made inroads and the successful resolution for the sponsorship rights of the league over a period of years which has been described as unprecedented and rewarding for the growth of football, clubs and players in the country.
Again, the club owners would still want their tenure in the LMC terminated after the success of last season, which the NFF has further extended.
As the 2013/2014 league season will begin on Friday, February 21, 2014, the Hon. Nduka Irabor board may have charted a new course for Nigeria football, the growth of Nigerian footballers and the need to address emphatically the welfare of players who are the main actors.
The recent proclamation that players salary must be a minimum of N150,000.000 monthly, compulsory insurance of players and the insistence by the LMC of N100million bank guarantee by clubs are steps in the right direction in developing our football.
There can never be any serious development of the country’s football without a sound welfare policy for players and coaches.
For once, we are beginning to see an entrenchment of professionalism in the running of Nigerian football especially in such areas as a standard contract of employment for professional footballers, pension scheme, players welfare trust fund and a host of others in line with global best practice.
A foundation is being laid and club owners who are genuinely and passionately committed to the growth of the beautiful games must begin to show more commitment knowing that it is not all about governorship sponsorship.
Unfortunately most if not all the premier league clubsides in the country are not registered on the Nigeria Stoke Exchange years if not decades after the formation of the Nigerian Professional League.
Almost every club is run by their respective state governments. The formation of clubsides and effective running of these clubs is more predicted on political grounds with hawks posited to manage the affairs of club.
Most clubs buy money to execute matches at exorbitant interests rates, there is the win at home at all cost syndrome even if clubs fail to play well. Match bonuses, salaries and whatever welfare packages may not be received by players till at time after the season, yet, the success of these clubs at the end of the season is taken by the helmsmen at the state as part of their success story for the year which further projects their political portfolio of achievements.
At this stage, the Nduka Irabor led board has set new standards to develop our football and there is no going back on it. It is not matter even if eight to ten clubs meet the full requirements before the league kick off date, what matters mot is that a carefully laid, detailed welfare package for the growth of Nigerian football has been laid which if duly implemented as expected will encourage the budding talents at the grassroots to believe in their qualities and the content of the league which can also assist their future despite the harsh economic situation.
The commendations from stakeholders towards this new initiative remains a milestone as players will now have the confidence, a great stake to put in their best.
According to The Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria through the Executive Secretary, Austin Popo, commended the LMC and NFF for placing premium on players welfare as it had succeeded in averting the various welfare challenges of domestic league players.
The body also stated that the latest innovation had forestalled the pitfalls challenging the health, security and the general welfare of Nigerian footballers which has claimed majority of their senior colleagues in the past, while soliciting for an understanding for the engagement of accredited NFA players Agent in negotiating players’ contract with clubs.
As this ray of light on the Nigerian league beams brighter, it is my utmost belief that the “packaging’ from the new season will witness the desired renaissance on our football as we look forward with great expectations to more milestone that will make the Nigerian professional league a destination on the continent. We must prove our mettle rightly.
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