MINISTER of Sports/Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has assured the board of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) that the commission would soon resolve the crisis dogging the sponsorship of the league following the discussions he held with the telecommunications firms involved in the dispute.Speaking while hosting members of the NPL board in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister regretted the sorry state of the Nigerian league, which he said has forced Nigerian youths to migrate to inferior countries for professional football.'While we insist on re-packaging the league to attract adequate sponsorship, I want to assure you that we are close to resolving the sponsorship crisis,' he said.'We have held several meetings with the firms involved and we are sure that if not before the end of this season, the sponsors of the league will return before the commencement of the next season.'He said he assessed the leagueon assumption of duty and observed that it was faced with so many administrative challenges, which he noted, have forced Nigerian players to move to obscure countries for professional football.Abdullahi urged the board to realise the enormity of its responsibility and reposition the league to give sponsors and Nigerian youths the ground to be part of its development, adding, however, that he was delighted that all major stakeholders in the game have decided to embrace peace, which has given him the opportunity to address other outstanding issues in the crisis.'I have taken time to assess the Nigerian League and I have found out that there are quite some challenges that have forced Nigerian players to rush to play their game in lesser football playing countries like Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, among others.'We have not created the conditions that would make our players settle here. We must definitely transform the league to give Nigerian players the opportunity to showcase their skills in an organised league in the country.'Unless we are able to repackage our league, we cannot get sponsors or followership, which is very important. We must work together to ensure we have the right type of league we desire.'Earlier, the NPL Chairman, Victor Rumson Baribote, had stated that the board was visiting the minister to appreciate the way he resolved the NPL and football crises in the county, as well as to congratulate him on his elevation from a supervising to substantive minister of sports.
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