Sports Minister criticises Nigerian league

MINISTER of Sports and Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has expressed worry over the state of the Nigerian Premier League that has failed to attract sponsorship in recent times.Abdullahi, while speaking yesterday during the opening ceremony of Soccerex seminar held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, said that the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) must address a number of issues before the 2012/13 season can commence."Except we are deceiving ourselves, there is no way we can start a new season when a number of issues have not been addressed like sponsorship. Our league has no sponsor for now and we also have the issue of broadcast rights to tackle. We must change our mentality to attract private sector to sponsor sports. We must be accountable because those who want to put in their money must get value for their investment."Recently, some people planned to go into football partnership with the Premier League but when they discovered that the atmosphere is not conducive, they opted for basketball. I learnt that through the President of the Basketball Federation that the talk on the partnership has reached an advanced stage, that is to tell you what Nigerian league is at the moment. The season that has just ended is still generating controversy with complaints coming from clubs and so on. We just have to put certain things in place before the NPL can even think of a new season," Abdullahi said.Also speaking at the event, Lagos State governor, Mr Raji Fashola, said the seminar was timely."I must say that the timing of this seminar is appropriate and I believe at the end of it all, it would change the face of football in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole," Fashola said adding that "our approach to sports development is methodical and we are doing everything humanly possible to create a conducive atmosphere that would lead to job creation for our youths through local football".
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