The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, together with his deputy, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, made a grand unveiling on Tuesday as they presented the highly anticipated jerseys for the 2021/2022 season of Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin and Edo Queens Football Club.
With great enthusiasm, Obaseki expressed his dedication to harnessing the sporting potential of the state to actively engage the youth and create valuable economic opportunities for the people of Edo.
He applauded Sterling Bank for their remarkable support, contributing a generous sum of N50 million to Bendel Insurance. The governor called upon other corporate organizations and patriotic Edo individuals to collaborate with the government in maximizing the immense benefits offered by sports development.
Obaseki noted, “I’m certain that with Bendel Insurance’s and Edo Queens’ combined performance this season, we can get our friends to assist Bendel Insurance in the same way as Sterling Bank does.
“However, we officials are quite clear that our people come first. We won’t seek to others to grow sports activities or for our athletes to become internationally recognized athletes since we are lucky that sports aren’t usually listed differently in our nation.”
“We will continue to invest our hard-earned money in sports activities and ensure that those investments provide the intended outcomes.” he reassured.
Meanwhile, Shaibu reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to the advancement of football. He urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to impose strict sanctions on any club that fails to adhere to the established rules and regulations of the game, ensuring fair play and accountability.
He charged, “I must assign our NFF the task of creating expert groups inside Nigeria; any membership that disregards your directives will be sanctioned; this is the first step.
“We can no longer win the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) trophy or the Champions League, not because we lack talent, but because of terrible administration. Today, I’m really into the NFF.
“After becoming office, we vowed to prioritize sports and return Edo to its original purpose of moving goods throughout Nigeria. Our initial steps were reconstructing Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and other athletic facilities around the country. Shaibu noted.
During the event, Seyi Akinwumi, a representative of the NFF and its first Vice President, commended the government for its consistent investment in sports.
He assured that the football regulatory body would closely monitor the management of the Nigeria National League (NNL) to guarantee the implementation of proper practices and procedures.
