The Minister of Sports development, Senator John Owan Enoh has called on the private and corporate individuals to take advantage of the vast opportunities in the sports ecosystem, join hands with the present administration and support its efforts towards the development of grassroots sports in the country.
This is as the Minister encouraged private and cooperate players, well meaning Nigerians to express interest in the ownership of football clubs in Nigeria for better development.
The minister made the remark on Friday after a session with Nigerian business mogul, Tony Elumelu.
Previously, Tony Elumelu had hinted at owing a football club in the country.
Speaking on his encounter with the billionaire, Enoh said, “The conversation to get more corporate players in the country get interested in the ownership of football clubs in the local league for obvious reasons is well underway.
“Let me express my deepest gratitude to my brother and friend, Tony Elumelu for his continuing interest and for helping to give this traction.
“I paid him a follow up meeting on friday the 19th April,but this time with my team which included the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Tinuke Watti.
“Not only did he receive us warmly,he complimented this by placing a call to another big corporate player,AbdulSamad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group, with a promise to expand the conversation.
“Nigerian football needs this and I’m forever grateful to Tony Elumelu for finding the idea as worthy. As a Sports Development Ministry we want to be very defining in addressing the challenges of the sector.
“Our vision is to build a systemic structure that addresses the problems that have continued to hold our football down. The initial focus may be on football, easily the king of sports in our country, but it will by no means end here.
“Step by step,the plan is to affect all the sports that Nigeria has continued to show competence.
“We must put a home base structure in place that responds to the charismatic, energetic, and die-hard Nigerian spirit. Only then can we proudly say we put in the work that counts.
For Nigerian football, let us create the structure that gives meaningful opportunities to the millions of talents in the country by building our local leagues.
“The situation needs salvage and the private sector holds the key Sports is business, and we must approach it as such. It is working elsewhere, and it can work for Nigeria, addressing significant issues ranging from robust growth of the nation’s economy,enabling significant revenue generation, GDP growth, job creation, and promoting national unity.”
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