Club News

Newly appointed Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Mr. George Aluo has thanked the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau for naming him and other members worthy of steering the ship of the nation’s second tier football league to new heights and territories.

Aluo, a veteran sports journalist told NNL Media shortly after the new NNL Board was inaugurated in Abuja, on Monday July 17, 2023 inside the Conference Room of the Sunday Dankaro Football House, MKO Abioala National Stadium, Abuja.

“I must thank Mr. President, Ibrahim Gusau in a special way for finding us worthy and capable of being given the mandate to be co-drivers of his vision of taking football in Nigeria, to the next level”.

“As a team, and individuals with integrity and uncommon passion for better and efficient management of our football, and by extension our leagues; we promise to work assiduously so as not to betray the trust you have invested in us, as a unit”, the NNL Boss added.

In his words; “the mandate is for us to run the NNL professionally”. So it will be business oriented and not business as usual. God being our helper, our guiding principle, is to insist on doing things right and differently, at all times.

He then pledged his loyalty and that of his board members to the Nigeria Football Federation; while promising to work very hard to realize the vision of its leadership, under Alhaji Gusau, in birthing a vastly improved and self sustaining league.

“It is the most important league, and we are willing to make that a practical reality”, he quipped.

As a team, we are committed to making the NNL very attractive for the corporate world, would be partners, the fans and everyone out there. So, we appeal to the business community to buy-into our reinvigorated league, and partner with us in advancing the fortunes of the NNL.

On officiating of matches in the NNL, Mr. Aluo said the new board under his watch is ready to apply all the necessary measures, with the aim of stemming the era of bad and incompetent refereeing. But clubs must also shun the erroneous impression that they must win at home, at all cost, even when it is glaring that they lack quality.

“We shall also be setting high standards with our match venues; as there shall be no more obscure venues. Teams in the NNL must accept hosting matches, in stadium that makes playing football attractive, he posited.

The New NNL board will therefore, be meeting for the first time on Tuesday July 18, 2023 to begin the herculean task of rebuilding and restructuring the Most Important league in Nigeria.

The board members are

1.Mr.George Aluo -Chairman

2.Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki -Vice Chairman

Other members .

4.Mr. Yakubu Sama

5.Mallam Sani Mohammed

6.Dr.Donald Ikpe

7.Chief Joseph Uzoma Ebowusim

8.Chief Dotun Sanusi

9.Mr.Emmanuel Attah -Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Football fans in Asaba, the Delta State Capital have been urged to make out time and visit the Stephen Keishi Memorial Stadium, on match days, to cheer the clubs who have all arrived in Asaba, for the NNL Promotional Play-offs, christened NNL Super 8.

The Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Chief Tonobok Okowa made the plea, while speaking to NNL Media on Friday, on the readiness of the state, to host a hitch-free, season-ending tournament.

“We are pleased that we have the facilitates to host the NNL Promotional Play-offs, and if the NFF or NNL approaches us that they want to use them, we have a responsibility of ensuring that they are given the nod to do so. After all, we must put the facilities to good use, otherwise the funds spent to put them in place, would have been a waste”, Chief Okowa said.

Chief Okowa, who is also the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria said he is very convinced the Super 8, featuring eight teams that will be battling for four promotion tickets to the nation’s top flight league, would be a huge success.

“What we are supposed to give to the NNL as an establishment of the NFF as approved by the Governor Rt. Hon. Sherriff Oborevwori has been released to them; and the Governor has also provided all we need to mobilize for security and other logistics entrusted in our care”, he added.

He emphatically predicted that the tournament which kicks off on Sunday, after Saturday’s draw ceremony, will be action packed and highly competitive.

“With notable names in Nigerian football like; Heartland, Kano Pillars, Katsina United, already here [Asaba] for the NNL Super 8, we don’t want an empty stadium. We also want good football, and I believe the teams will give the fans exactly that, considering that they would have trained sufficiently for the big task ahead”, Chief Okowa concluded. The other sides taking part in the NNL Promotional Play-offs are DMD FC of Maiduguri, EFCC FC of Abuja, FC ONE Rocket of Abat, Stommers SC of Abeokuta and Sporting FC of Lagos.

Hostilities at the Nigeria National League season-ending Super 8 Play-Offs will start Saturday 1st July,2023 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba Delta state capital. The teams are expected to arrive Asaba on or before Saturday 1^st July,2023, with the draw programme scheduled same day by 8pm

EFCC, Katsina United, Kano Pillars and DMD of Borno represent the NNL Northern Conference.

FC ONE Rocket Akwa Ibom, Sporting Lagos, Abeokuta Stormers SC and Heartland FC of Owerri punched their slots in the Southern Conference.

*Format*

It will be a round- robin method in the two conferences. Teams from the Northern Conference will face each other , same applies with the southern conference teams playing one another.

The best two teams in both conferences will pick two of the Nigeria Premier league ticket while the two top teams from the conferences on point will battle to determine the overall winner of the season in an epic final on Friday 7 ,July 2023.