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It’s total re-branding in NNL league, Olopade assures

By Gowon Akpodonor
06 January 2017   |   3:02 am
He spoke shortly after the board paid a courtesy call on the NFF President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick and the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja yesterday.
A Heartland attacker (left) takes on Enyimba’s defence when the turf was smooth for the Owerri side. The Naze Millionaires will play in the second tier Nigerian National League (NNL) … next season.

A Heartland attacker (left) takes on Enyimba’s defence when the turf was smooth for the Owerri side. The Naze Millionaires will play in the second tier Nigerian National League (NNL) … next season.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Bukola Olopade, has said that the board would set a record for other bodies to ambulate in administration of football in the country.

Olopade, a former Sports Commissioner in Ogun State told The Guardian in a chat yesterday that the NNL board would go for total re-branding of the league to give the nation’s football a solid foundation.

He spoke shortly after the board paid a courtesy call on the NFF President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick and the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja yesterday.

As Sports Commissioner under the Otunba Gbanga Daniel’s administration, Ogun State became the Mecca of sports in the country. Apart from hosting the Gateway Games in 2006, which turned out to be one of the best in the history of the National Sports Festival, Ogun played host to a FIFA tournament in 2009.

According to Olopade, the NNL under the present board would not only emulate the League Management Company (LMC) but surpassed it. “The NNL is the bridge for both the amateur and professionals players in the country, so we will do everything possible to build a solid foundation,” Olapade stated.

Led by its Chairman, Mr. Chidi Ofo Okenwa, on the courtesy call on Pinnick and Sanusi, the board expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve Nigerian Football in this new capacity, while expressing confidence in their ability to make the NNL much bigger and better than what it is now.

“We have come to let you know that we are ready to go. We are a board that understands the dynamics of association football, and we see ourselves as an arm of the NFF, and not a parallel body.

“Our commitment to making a difference is very high. With the support of the Federation, we believe the sky will be our limit,” Okenwa told an audience that included Pinnick, Sanusi and Chairman of Chairmen, Alh. Ibrahim Musa Gusau.

Pinnick told the NNL Board to drive themselves hard to innovate in order to be able to develop the second tier of Nigeria domestic football in the face of present economic realities, and particularly noted the pedigree of the board’s CEO, Hon. Bukola Olopade in marketing.

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