Newly appointed Chief Operating Officer of Nigeria National League, NNL in this interview speaks on his plans to reposition the league and his thoughts on the possibility of airing League matches.
How do you feel on your recent appointment as COO of Nigeria’s National League (NNL)?
I feel excited. It is a call to service. I feel I am back to a terrain I am used to and It’s a challenge to reposition the league.
Going forward, what should we expect of you?
First and foremost, we must look at what led the league to where it is now, from there we would be able to know what to do and how to go about it. Even a doctor in the hospital would have to examine a patient before he knows how to treat a patient. By the special grace of God, we would sit down with stakeholders, club owners and the media, especially on how we can find what led to where the league is and how to move it forward.
Looking at your past records, you were once the Head of Africa Inter Clubs and also Aiteo Cup as well as the women’s league. Should we expect a radical change in the fortunes of the league?
The truth of the matter is the football administration like other administration is dynamic, it’s continuous, of course, once you have the experience you have to leverage on that and that’s what I intend to bring with the help of God and other stakeholders. The terrain I was before when I was in the Interclub and women’s league and the Aiteo Cup isn’t the same here. This is a league that is a second-tier football league and one of the best in Nigeria and Africa and we are having this slow and probably almost grounded league. Like I said, I will pray to God to help me and the team that will help us reposition the league.
Nigerians don’t get to watch local football on TV and that has not helped the growth of the league. Just the Championship in England, is there any likelihood that the NNL matches will be aired on TV?
Before we can dabble into that you must make sure you secure a formidable sponsor and must have a partnership with a reputable print and electronic media. You can’t just air it. It is big business putting the league on TV and even running a commentary on radio. However, if we are able to achieve that it is a plus to this present dispensation and Nigerians as a whole.
If we can do that then we can start thinking of competing with EPL. We must reposition and make the brand attractive, let it be good that enough and try to see whether we can bring people back to the stadium because what sponsors want is the background, the noise and what goes with it. That is where adverts can come in. The sponsors will need the mileage of the league to advertise their services.
Funds have always been a challenge to the development of sports and with COVID-19 crippling the fortunes of football across the globe, how will you ensure that the league doesn’t suffer financially?
The truth of the matter is the pandemic, which is global is not restricted to Nigeria alone and it has given us a new phase of life and has made us see things differently. We never knew a time like this will come, now that reality has stared at us in the face we have to make do with what we have and probably what we would get out of it.
We pray to God that if at the end of the day we get sponsors, we won’t do more than our powers. We would make do with whatever we have and ensure that things are moderately done because if we mistakenly bite more than we can chew, we would run into trouble, so we have to take things step by step.
With many players being owed several months salaries by club owners, are we looking at a change from the old narrative?
Let me appreciate all the club owners and the endurance of the players, it is not a thing of joy if you work and you aren’t paid. I know and I’m convinced that the clubs aren’t deliberately owing the players. It is due to the situation of things. We would talk to them and beg them to see things differently. If you want to get the best, even of your child you must encourage that child, you must give incentives. It may not be 100% payment but give them something to keep them motivated. Because players are like any other youth, when they are well motivated you get the best out of them.
I am sure you are aware of the ill-fated Bet9ja sponsorship deal with NLL which went sour. You have said the league needs sponsors. Now, when you do, what are you going to put in place to ensure that what happened with Bet9ja doesn’t reoccur again?
Let me first start by praising and thanking Bet9ja, this is an indigenous company who decided to come and partner with the league then and of course, even the tongue and the teeth do fight and settle. There was a problem along the line and we are going to work and see how they and others would come because they said a tree can’t make a forest and it is the ingredients that make the soup tasty. So we are going to leverage with the experience we had before and be better and of course, this applies to other stakeholders and the involvement of the board and the media.
We will look inward because they know the challenge and they are based here so they will know how to go about all these cooperate organizations.
