THE Niger State government owners of the Niger Tornadoes Football Club at the weekend made good its promise when it paid 40% of players and coaches sign on fees for the 2011/2012 Nigeria Premier League Season as a means of keeping the players in high spirit before the end of the league.Government distributed a Zenith bank cheques to the 42 players at the office of the state's Commissioner for Sports Development, Alhaji Hassan Abdullahi alongside the executives members of the Tornadoes Management Committee.The 40% of the money paid out to players was to the tune of N20million and this surprise package however gingered the players to secure a home victory against the visiting Kwara United who lost by 3 goals to 1 in week 33 match of the Nigeria Premier League played at the Bako Kontagora Memorial Stadium.The Commissioner for Sports thanked both the players and the coaching crew for their patience and understanding with the state government since the commencement of the season and said that no player would be owed because government is committed to moving football forward.According to him 'the chief Servant of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu is highly committed to the welfare of players who are doing the state proud and would therefore not allow their agreement with the state to stay for too long that is why we are beginning the payment process today and we would continue in this direction'.He also said the time has now come that the players would reciprocate the gesture made by government by making sure that they win all their remaining home and away matches so that they can be comfortable on the league table at the end of the season.Club Chairman, Abdullahi Paiko who also was a former Chairman of the State football Association praised the state government for making good its promise to pay the sign on fees of players and maintained that this is the first of its kind in the history of football in Niger State.He said 'no government since 1976 when the state was created has ever given players money through cheque as a mark of transparency and accountability, but this government of the chief servant has done it and therefore deserve a pat on the back'.
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