By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has once again harped on the need to tap into the huge economic potentials of football in the country.
He expressed this when he was visited by the Association of Club Owners of Nigeria (ACON).
“If this meeting was held three years ago, as owner of Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC, one of the few private owned football clubs, I would have been a part of the delegation to the office of the Senate President.
“There’s no denying the fact that football is a unifying factor for many Nigerians, however, we are yet to fully explore the economic potentials across the country which we must start now as we look to diversify the economy,” he said.
He used the opportunity to commend efforts of club owners in making our domestic league, comparable to international leagues which even though is work in progress, “is encouraging many Nigerians to return to stadiums all over the country to watch matches even in Maiduguri; a feat that we could only imagine some years back.”
“As we lead by example, I urge other arms of government to welcome and partner with private organizations interested in using sports as a platform to provide socio-economic liberation for players and communities,” he charged.
He explained that the Senate is committed to developing legislation to provide an enabling environment for domestic investors to be able to invest in sports across the country.
“We can’t talk of football without recognizing our women. Falcons are the current African Champions. And can win more titles with right support. I urge the association to do everything possible to uplift the standard of football in Nigeria and maintain such standard for other sports investors to emulate,” he emphasized.
