Why FG is insisting on NPFL clubs licensing - Dare

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the Federal Government’s stance on turning sports from recreational activity to business has necessitated the need for the Nigeria Professional Football League clubs to be fully licensed.

Dare stated this in a series of tweets on Monday, September 7, 2020.

The sports ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Gabriel Aduda, on Friday warned that football leagues in the country would not resume until basic licensing were met by clubs.

Aduda said the sports minister had directed the Nigeria Football Federation to communicate with the clubs the need to comply fully with financial controls and regulations before a date would be fixed for the resumption of the league.

On Monday, Dare stated that the ministry would ensure that clubs were properly licensed, saying it was in line with the aim of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to turn sports to a more viable business sector.

“With the reclassification of sports from recreation to business, President Buhari is committed to sports as a business, a first logical step. Other steps include running our football league as a business, not as ‘play-play’ hence the full implementation of licensing and financial controls,” the minister tweeted.

“These are the things we have been about since our inception in August 2019. We have a clear plan and vision. We are dogged in working to fulfill them leveraging on public and private financing.”

Club licensing in Nigeria has been a major issue, with a number of clubs failing to meet the requirements to adequately run clubs on a yearly basis, but given the go-ahead to participate in the leagues.

This has often led to several clubs being unable to pay their players and staff for several months.