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By: Abiodun Adewale.
Football stakeholders have applauded the composition of the new board of the Nigeria Premier League, which is now headed by a former deputy chairman of the house of representatives’ committee on youth and sports and former Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye.
Elegbeleye was confirmed as the chairman of the nine-member Nigeria Premier League board which will run the Nigeria Professional Football League for the next two years by Nigeria Football Federation president, Ibrahim Gusau last Thursday.
Former head of operations of the IMC, Davison Owumi will also work with Elegbeleye on the new board as the chief operating officer. While the secretary/legal adviser is Danlami Ibrahim.
Other members are Mohammed Sa’idu, Poubeni Ogun, ex- international Daniel Amokachi, Okey Kpalukwu, Suleiman Umar, and Dominic Iorfa as members.
Ondo State commissioner for youth and sports development, Bamidele Ologunloluwa, acknowledged the experience of Elegbeleye and called for more support from all stakeholders to ensure the success of the board.
“His enviable administrative antecedents in the sporting arena no doubt convinced me that he will perform exceedingly well in the new task committed into his hands. I therefore enjoin everyone to give the new chairman the necessary support to steer the NPFL to a destination of pride,” Ologunloluwa said.
Chairman of the Ondo State Football Association, Dele Ajayi as well as the task force chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, Harrison Jalla also lauded the inclusion of ex-internationals on the board.
“The football governing body in Ondo State is particularly excited that thorough-bred sports administrators as well as former internationals like Daniel Amokachi, Dominic Iorfa and Davidson Onwumi have also been called upon to bring their experience to bear on the newly constituted board,” Ajayi noted.
“These gentlemen will bring a lot of quality and bags full of experience to further assist Elegbeleye to propel the NPFL to the zenith of African football and help the NFF in the ongoing repositioning of Nigerian football,” Jalla said.
The next NPFL season is proposed to start by the end of August.