Amaechi Urges Paradigm Shift In Football

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,
has stated that for Nigerian football to take its pride of place and postiviely
impact the socio-economic development of the nation there needs to be a
paradigm shift in the way it is run.

Governor
Amaechi said this yesterday while declaring open the 2012 Annual General
Meeting of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) in Port Harcourt.

Representing
by his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, Governor Amaechi, who is also Chairman of the
Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF), stated that “it is time for a paradigm shift
in the way sports is run in this country”, stressing that “while our
footballers in Europe are paid heavily, our local players live in abject
poverty, something must be done that would enable everyone to smile to the bank
at the end of every season and also make the country richer”.

Calling
for cuts in public sector involvement in sports, Governor Amaechi tasked the
NFF members to take more responsibility, pointing out that “the game of
football is in your hands. If you want it to die, it’s in your hands. If you
want it to survive, it’s in your hands. Whatever you make of it that’s what it
will be”, he stated.

Earlier,
in his welcome address, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji
Aminu Maigari, stressed the need for a peaceful atmosphere for sports
development in Nigeria, commending the national teams for their sterling
performance, assuring them to NFF’s support to enable them win all their
matches in the coming year, calling on stakeholders to remain united and
focused, commending Governor Amaechi for hosting the event.

Also speaking, the Chairman, House of Representative
Committee on Sports, Hon. Godfrey Ali-Gaiya, called on NFF to redouble its
efforts in football development, disclosing that 2013 holds a lot of
challenges, assuring them of collaboration in tackling some of the challenges
being faced by them, adding that “the National Assembly is working assiduously
to ensure that the bill presented to it by NFF is passed in a short time”.

On his
part, the State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Fred Igwe, thanked the NFF for
choosing to hold this year’s Annual General Meeting in Port Harcourt,
describing Rivers State as “a peace haven,” commending Team Rivers for making
the State proud in the just concluded National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012
held in Lagos State.