OLUCHI TOBEX TOBE-CHUKWU 

Administering a league that has 198 clubs under her umbrella could be quite tasking and cumbersome, but the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Nationwide League One (NLO) ,  Shola Ogunnowo sees it as an opportunity to demonstrate strong commitment in service through excellent  organisational skills to develop the league at the grassroots of football in Nigeria.

In an exclusive interview with PM EXPRESS,  he was enthusiastic in his summation.

“The fact that the NLO started late and finished first shows that we have put every expertise into the organization of the league.The league was devoid of negative publicity or rancour, ” Ogunnowo said.

” We took time to run a cost effective league in terms of the structure of zones and proximity of clubs. We wanted a situation where clubs spent less,play matches  and return to their bases early.

“In states like Lagos and Kano that parades many clubs in the Nationwide League, clubs were privileged to play their matches in their states.

“The NLO took into consideration that most of these clubs hardly generate revenue as they are not professional clubs, ” he added.

Ogunnowo appreciated the Katsina state government for hosting the Super 8 and Haggai Creations for kitting the teams. He went further to say that all hands are on deck to make sure the league ends before the World Cup in Russia this June, while he also noted that the  league body is also concerned about the welfare of her players, especially the transfer of these players in order to avoid football slavery.

“We want to protect our clubs in terms of transfer of players. Transfers are based on negotiations and not what you feel like paying because the players are from grassroots clubs.

” The NLO will ensure that the players are protected when being transfered to other clubs whether within Nigeria or abroad because of football slavery, ”  he said.

He further encouraged clubs to pay something tangible to their players even though they are not professional players but the fact remains that most of these players earn their living playing in the nationwide league.

The NLO is most particular and serious in being the cradle where players are matured into greatness hence the compulsion in registering 15 under 19 players from clubs with proof of birth certificate and primary school certificate this season.

“We certainly want to change the notion that Nigerian players are not truthful about their ages” he stated.

The League of three divisions will commence in March and hopefully scheduled to end in June.