As the Nigeria National League begins this weekend, the Chairman of the League George Aluo in this interview, enumerated what his Board intends to achieve, and plans towards actualising it. Excerpts 

 

How are you settling in as the Chairman of the NNL?

I have fully settled down and working very hard with my board members towards ensuring we give Nigerians a quality second tier league which they've been yearning for over the years.
You're quite aware that few weeks after our swearing in by the NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, we had a successful play- off in Kano State and later had our AGM in Jos, Plateau State which was adjudged as the best AGM of the NNL in recent time. 
And just last month, a seminar which is the first of it's kind by the NNL  was organised by the league board in conjunction with  the National Institute for Sports (NIS) for all the 40 club coaches in the league. 
In that seminar, we had world class resource persons including Director General of NIS, Prof. Olawale  Moronkola, Technical Director of NFF Austin Eguavoen, former Super Eagles players;  Peter Rufai and Clement Temile, NIS lecturer Kuhwa Iorsue Jeremiah and Uefa licensed coach Portuguese Thiago Silva who took the coaches on modern football coaching techniques which is geared towards preparing them for the 2023/2024 league season. So, I'm happy to say that we're already on course to deliver on our mandate.

 

What are the immediate plans of the Board under your leadership 

Well, the immediate plan of the board under my leadership is to organise a quality league where at the end of the day, everybody will be satisfied with  what we've done. I want to see a league where the best teams will gain promotion to the elite league and the  issue of winning at all cost will be a thing of the past.
Our plan is also  to have a league that will be credible and attractive so as to  get the attention of corporate organisations because with corporate sponsorship, referees indemnity will be settled by the board even before any match and avoid the old  practice of home teams settling referees indemnity as this will go a long way in checking corruption and biased officiating which has characterized the league in the past.
Furthermore, the  present board wants to see a league where a club that plays well can win on the road and avoid unnecessary board room points. 
You remember that during our swearing in, the President of NFF charged us to think outside the box on how to make the most important league after the Premier League attractive and we're working to deliver on that mandate because it won't be business as usual.

The league starts this weekend, how ready is the secretariat? 

The secretariat is fully ready to hit the ground running. Starting from my humble self to the  Chief Operating Officer, board members and  other support staff, we're ready for the kick off of the league season  and I can assure you that Nigerians will witness the best of football from our kick off date of November 11.
Everybody involved in the league is ready and by the special grace of God, I don't foresee any last minute hitches as we kick start the season. Having said this, I want to assure all the clubs that every arrangement has been put in place for a successful kick off of the 2023/2024 league season and I equally need their corporation to succeed because we're partners in progress.
To make the league be at par with similar leagues in the world, we're going to insist on having only coaches with at least NIS certificate on the touch line. We have already communicated this decision to the various clubs and I hope they will corporate with us.

Tell us about the challenges you have noticed so far in the NNL

The major challenge we have is the issue of funding which has to do with lack of corporate sponsorship of the league.
You know that football is a big business that involves a lot of money to run it  but when this is lacking, it becomes a problem. It's equally important to state that you might have good ideas but when the funding is not there to carry out these noble ideas, it becomes a problem and the idea dies with the person but I believe that with the moves and networking we're making now, we'll soon overcome the challenges of corporate sponsorship of the NNL.
Another challenge is the issue of referees indemnity. I discovered that most times, home teams take care of referees allowances. This to me is an anomaly because it gives room to manipulations and we hope to tackle it head on for the league to gain credibility.

What are the plans you have to improve the league

Part of the plan to improve the league was the recent seminar we organised for the coaches at Remo Stars Football Club  facility at Ikenne, Ogun State. Prior to my appointment, I discovered that these coaches need training and retraining to be at their best. Some of them have not attended refresher courses for many years which has negatively affected their job.
You know that football is dynamic and the  technique a coach applies this year, might be out of fashion next season and am happy that all the coaches heaped praises on the league board for their foresight in organising that seminar.
Apart from this, I want to run a league that's transparent where a team can win away matches and avoid a situation where teams win home matches at all cost which has been detrimental to the development of not only the second tier league but all other leagues in the country.
I also want to run a credible league that will attract corporate organisations who knowing that they  will get the desired millage will like to   invest in the league.
I equally want to run a league where even if a home team loses, their fans will be satisfied with the officiating and not invade the pitch or attack match officials which has been an occuring decimal in our match venues.
The league board will also take the issue of welfare of coaches and players serious, We shall be having regular interactions with the club owners to ensure that the issue of coaches and players welfare is not toiled with because when they are paid regularly, they will put in their best.

For the kick-off slated for Lafia, tell Nigerians what to expect

I want to assure Nigerians to expect the best of quality football and good officiating as the league kicks off this weekend in Lafia, the Nasarawa State Capital.
Nigerians are also assured that it'll no longer be business as usual. There will also be adequate security at all match venues  and any team or referee who tries to bend the rules  will be adequately sanctioned.
I believe that there is nothing wrong with National team coaches discovering quality players in the NNL and that's what we want to see. So, generally, Nigerians are going to see something different from what they've been seeing at the lower league.

What are the plans  for the teams generally.
I want to assure the teams that there will be no room for favoritism under the present board of the NNL and that was why I told their coaches  to prepare adequately for the league.
We also have robust plans for the clubs but this will be unfolded as the league progresses but one thing I want to assure them is that we shall be transparent in our dealings with all the clubs because we want to move away from the past.