LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Founder and Chairman of United Bank of Africa, Tony Elumelu is contemplating acquiring a Nigerian football club.
The struggles faced by teams in the Nigerian Premier Football League have sparked discussions within the football community, leading to suggestions of private club ownership as a potential solution.
In response to this, Nigerian lawyer Adedayo Mustapha suggests big companies in Nigeria should buy football clubs as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). He believes this would bring healthy competition to the league.
READ ALSO: Tony Elumelu Foundation Announces Ongoing Opportunities For Africans
“Can we get the President and Ministry of Sport to weigh in on the big corporations in Nigeria to buy at least one league club as part of CSR? Imagine dangote buys Kano pillars, BUA buys Kwara United, elumelu acquires rivers United, geregu takes over 3sc. Imagine the competition” he wrote on X.
Elumelu, in response to Mustapha’s proposal, disclosed that the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Senator John Owan-Enoh, has approached him with a proposal to buy or acquire a major club in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Elumelu expressed his interest in the idea, stating that they are currently assessing its feasibility.
He wrote, “This is a nice idea, The Sports Minister, Senator John Enoh @OwanEnoh, is already thinking along this line and has approached me and we are already evaluating viability.”
Only three teams, Sporting Lagos, Remo Stars, and Doma United out of the 20 NPFL teams are owned by private entities. The remaining clubs are government-owned.