JOE Applauds Tony Elumelu dedication to developing football in Nigeria
Oru Leonard
The Honourable Minister of Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh Owan has applauded a foremost Nigerian Billionaire investor, Mr Tony Elumelu for his dedication in the development of football in Nigeria.
In a statement made available to News Dot Africa, the Minister said:
“The conversation to buy league clubs in the country for very obvious reasons has been underway. Let me express my gratitude to my brother and friend Tony Elumelu, who has shown great passion and commitment in this direction. My team and I paid him a visit to discuss buying a local league. Not only did he receive us with open arms, but he also made sure to call potential buyers on the spot and extend conversations in this regard. I appreciate his dedication to developing football in Nigeria.
“As a sports ministry, we do not aim for a superficial dressing to sports development in Nigeria. Our vision is to build a systemic structure that addresses the problems that have plagued the football system from inside out and bottom to top. When I assumed office as sports development minister, I settled down to better understand the challenges of the sector and engaged with critical stakeholders, so that issues can be seen and addressed clearly and thoroughly.
“We must build confidence in our prime sport, which is football. We cannot depend on winning competitions by stroke of luck or individual efforts. We must put a home-based structure in place that carries the charismatic, energetic, and die-hard Nigerian spirit. A structure that shows intentionality and will portray our tactical superiority in the game of football. Only then can we proudly say that we put in the work that counts.
“Let us create meaningful opportunities for the millions of talents in the country by building our local league. We must salvage the situation, and the private sector holds the key. Sports is business, and we must approach it as such. It is working for other climes, 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.
“Today, as always, I call on the private and corporate sectors to take advantage of the vast opportunities in the sports ecosystem, which will automatically bring development. The Renewed Hope Agenda, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, is passionate about sports development. Let us rise to the occasion. We are on the path to bringing back glory to the nation’s local league. Let us make this happen..
-Senator John Owan Enoh
Honourable Minister of Sports Development .
