The chief executive officer of the second-tier Nigeria National League (NNL), Emmanuel Attah is counting blessings and achievements he has gained from less than two years in the saddle, then enthused that more strides are already on the way.
Attah, who is a former coordinator of the Super Eagles, looked back on many giant strides achieved after the lower division’s current board was inaugurated in 2023 and he added during an exclusive interview with sports247.ng that they are not resting on their oars.
The excited but soft-spoken CEO retorted, “First of all, we want to give God the glory for where we are so far. When the president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gasau, inaugurated us in June 2023, he gave us a mandate that we should go and change the narrative of the Nigeria National League and develop it. He said we should make it what we call the most important league in Nigeria.
“Thank God, we have been on a very positive path; but it’s not been easy, to be sincere. In the task of correcting the past, we’ve met with a lot of challenges but, with the help of God, we’ve been able to surmount those challenges such that the league, which was in the past heavily criticised, is now being praised by almost all Nigerians, and the development has taken place within a short time.”
Attah then specifically spelt out some of the achievements pulled off by the current NNL board, especially in terms of providing fair play, balanced officiating, and healthy competition for all clubs, regardless of their status, history or location in the country.
He stated, “Today, we can beat our chest that teams can travel either home or away and play all their matches in confidence.
If you win, you know you won genuinely; if you lose, you know you lost genuinely. I must say, we had many away victories last season and, this season, it continues as such.
“I won’t say it’s El-Dorado; because there are still some complaints here and there, but they’ve been dealt with.
The referees have also been up and doing, because we appeal to them. We, the board of the Nigeria National League, believe in equity, fair play and justice. Every team should be given a level playing ground.”
Attah concluded by revealing steps taken by the NNL’s governing body towards encouraging good officiating and in ensuring that the standard of play gets even better with each passing matchday.
“We don’t support any team, and we don’t have any team. All the teams are our own, and they have been cooperating with us. The few that erred have been duly sanctioned.
The referees are all also doing well. This is one reason why we instituted an award for them sponsored by a streaming company; so as to encourage them for better performances,” Attah affirmed.
The erudite football administrator, who hails from Benue State, went on to reveal that five awards have also been instituted to encourage peak performances by players in various positions of the field.
