From the House of Representatives Committee on Sports flowed commendations for the leadership of the League Management Company (LMC) at a briefing session on Thursday held at the instance of the Committee which invited the LMC for briefing on the activities of the league body.
The LMC team led by the Chairman, Shehu Dikko included, Chairman of Abia Warriors and NFF Executive Committee member, High Chief Emeka Inyama, Chief Operating Officer, LMC Salihu Abubakar acting Chairman of the Club Owners Association and Chairman Nasarawa Utd, Barrister Danladi Isaac, Alloy Chukwuemeka, the acting Secretary, Jude Anyadufu, coordinator of the Clubs and Sporting Director Enyimba FC and Harry Iwuala, the LMC Head of Special Projects.
A statement by LMC Media Chief, Harry Iwuala, stated that Chairman of the Committee, Honorable Goni Bukar Lawan opened the meeting by saying that the progress recorded in the league thus far was such that “I would have asked the LMC team to take a bow and go”. But it was Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, the proprietress of the defunct Omidiran Babes women football club, Alhaja Ayo Omidiran representing State of Osun who started the rounds of praises when she said, “the LMC is a miracle worker. I knew what the league used to be and what you have turned it into now. We are happy with your matches that we also watch and you have given us hope that in this country, everything is achievable when you set out with good intentions”. Omidiran added that she is one of the followers of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) twitter handle on social media.
In his 72-page presentation covering the activities of the LMC from 2012/13 season till date, Dikko highlighted the achievements, challenges and projections of the company which covered finances including income and expenditure statement for the last 3 seasons and development plans.
“It is very evident that the LMC has been a huge success so far. The LMC met the defunct Nigeria’s elite league completely crippled with debts of over N400m with Clubs paying for cost of match administration and a season meant to last eight months lasting 15 months due to internal leadership squabbles caused by an absence of a governance structure. But the LMC was able to turn around the fortunes of the new league for good within six months”, Dikko stated in his opening address.
“Today, the NPFL has since been growing in all facets; attaining a measure of financial stability to the extent that clubs are now receiving payouts from revenue generated by the LMC. Match Officials allowances are being paid by the LMC and for the first time in the history of the league, clubs are getting prize moneys in the form of merit awards with the winner of the immediate past season receiving N30m”, Dikko continued in his narrative to the Committee members who applauded his presentations intermittently.
His presentation was not all about the heights attained as he also let the Legislators into some of the major challenges of the league administration, saying, “the biggest challenge the NPFL has faced is the fight for the hearts and pockets of the Nigerian football fan which has been hijacked by Foreign football, especially the European Leagues”.
Dikko followed up with an appeal for the support of the committee to push through a legislation by the National Assembly for legislations that will not only get government to provide intervention funds to be use by Government for infrastructural development of the league stadiums, but also impose some form of taxes on companies doing business in the country, but are sponsoring foreign clubs and or leagues to also invest in the league.
“The National Assembly may consider providing intervention fund to develop infrastructure and necessary broadcast equipment in all league venues which we believe will fast track the development of the league to international standards and this fund will not be given to the LMC or the clubs but directly administered by the relevant Federal Government agency.
“Today, the Premier League generates over two billion British Pounds in taxes for the British government, while football tourism generates even more with people from all over the world coming to the UK to watch Premiership games. EPL is also a huge economic factor n the UK creating and sustaining millions of jobs outside football within the Uk. The Premier League got the impetus when in 1992, the British Government provided 200 million British Pounds for upgrade of stadium infrastructure which has made the stadiums television friendly and drive the private sector participation n the league. We would seek your support for such government intervention fund, not to be given to clubs but to be applied to stadium development”.
The LMC Chairman further told the Committee that the LMC governance structure has brought stability to the administration of the league, “improved the financial health of the league, created a marketing and commercial framework that has great appeal to Corporate Nigeria, ensuring transparency, credibility of match outcomes and renewed confidence of the fans in the league leading to increase in attendance from an average of below 2000 to over 7000 and inflow of private funding”.
Dikko also further reiterated that the LMC is sitting on a solid legal framework in compliance with the nation’s Corporate laws and Football laws and regulations, saying , “the LMC came into being as a result of a request by clubs to the NFF to intervene and save the league which in 2011/2012 had been bedeviled by multi-faceted crisis which led the Federation in exercise of its statutory powers under article 78 (2 & 3) of the NFF statutes set up the League Management Committee to reform the administration of the league, with the approval of the NFF executive Committee and the NFF Congress.
He continued by stating that “the LMC as a company is solely for the benefit of the NFF and the participating clubs with the NFF holding a Golden Share in the Company and a veto power in certain key decisions. This is also in consonance with Article 17.2 of the FIFA statutes which states that member bodies shall either be elected or appointed through a fair and independent process. FIFA also allows member Federations, pursuant to Article 18 of FIFA statutes and which is also captured in Article 18 of NFF statutes to domesticate its statutes to suit local peculiarities and the LMC has been modeled after the English Premier League pursuant to the resolution of the meeting of the Clubs on September 6, 2013 in Abuja and September 14, 2013 in Lagos. However, in our own case, we have an Independent Chairman, two other independent members, three representatives of the clubs and which is insulating the board from clubs politics and guarantees neutrality in decision making and transparency of operation”.
Dikko further informed the committee that this governance structure of the LMC was agreed to and ratified by the participating clubs at a meeting held on September 6, 2013. “It set out a clear process of appointing the LMC Directors through an independent and fair process in compliance with Article 18 and 78 of the NFF statutes and Article 17 and18 of the FIFA statutes”.
On revenue generation, Dikko said “the LMC succeeded in untangling the legal challenges that bogged down the league which led to zero sponsorship funding prior to its takeover of the administration of the league. We have also negotiated a more robust broadcast right deal that is perhaps the second best in Africa leading to increased revenue to clubs”.
“The LMC has also instituted a transparent management of the league resources where budgets and revenue projections are agreed with the clubs before the start of the season and expenditure report made available at the end of the season. LMC always ensures a clause is included in its sponsorship contract where the sponsor would have the right to inspect LMC financial records and indeed the annual reports are given to the sponsors stating how funds have been utilised. Also independent auditors are appointed by the members in compliance with the Governance Structure. This has ensured renewed confidence by sponsors and potential sponsors in the LMC and indeed the LMC would shortly be filing its annual returns to the Corporate Affairs Commission and this audited report will be published in a national newspaper”, the LMC Chairman concluded.
Hon. Ayodeji Joseph, representing Apapa Federal Constituency in responding disclosed that he has been a supporter of Julius Berger FC but stopped going to the stadium when the league got embroiled in internal squabbles. He added, “I was going to confront the chairman of the Committee for his opening speech praising the LMC but after listening to your briefing and also going through the presentation you gave us, I can say that the Chairman didn’t praise the LMC sufficiently. The LMC has transformed the league since their inception and with what I have heard and seen in your presentation, I will return to watching games again. Joseph, a former Apapa Local Government Chairman and founder of Apapa Golden Stars amateur club advised the LMC to ensure that all the Premier League Clubs maintain junior teams that should be providing players to the national junior teams.
A member representing Yobe State , Alhaji Magajin Dau Aliyu and who was former chairman of the Nigeria Cycling federation also expressed surprise that the LMC is not funded by government, saying, “one thought that the reason you came here was to ask the Committee to make a case for increased funding. But having seen your presentation and learning that you have been generating revenue for the clubs, I think you should not only be commended but also be recommended for a national award to which the committee members concured. Coming from a background at the Cycling Federation where he said the traditional sponsor told him they withdrew from the sponsorship due to misuse of funds, Aliyu lauded the LMC for the transparency shown in its dealings as presented in the report, which will surely be an impetus for other sponsors to come on board.
Hon. Adedapo Lam Adesina from Oyo State, a former Commissioner of Sports in Oyo State and who supervised Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) said he had wished his time at the club was in the present administration of the league and also commended the LMC leadership for the transformation of the league. He advised the LMC to ensure that the growth continued in the seasons ahead.
Winding up the briefing, the Chairman pledged the members support for the LMC especially in the area of legislation that will improve the league, saying, “You can count on us as Ambassadors of the League who will market your initiatives to the 360 members. We will always keep our doors open for you and assure you that we will show closer interest in the Nigeria League because it is something to be proud of”.
