‘Monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’, this old adage aptly describes the situation between players in the Globacom Premier League and the officials of the Nigeria Professional League (NPL), the body that governs the league.

While the board markets the league with the players as products and rakes in millions, the players get next to nothing for their sweat.

For the 2009/10 season, Globacom Telecommunications, the title sponsor paid N921, 800 million, for television rights, DSTV through Total Promotions paid N119,771 million. The league official bankers paid N50 million, Insurance partner N20 million, Marina Medical Services N3.5 million, club registration N4 million, fines and cautions N11.4 million, arbitration N12.4 million, endorsement will bring in N 5 million, while the body will realise N24 million from other sources, all these amount to N1,191,875.71 billion.

Of this amount, the 20 football clubs participating in the league will get a meagre N200 million, out of which they will pay N32.8 million to NPL for registration fees, fines, cautions and commission on club endorsements.

While every aspect of the NPL spending has increased, including revenue from sponsors - for example, the title sponsor, Globacom Telecommunications Limited gave NPL N806 million in 2008, in 2009, it increased to N840, 530, for the 2009/10 season N921, 800 million - remittance from NPL to clubs still remains N10 million to each of the 20 clubs, that is N200 million in total.

Items listed under capital, operational and administration expenses say a lot about the intention of the NPL board, and their concerns about the growth and development of football in Nigeria.

Capital expenditure

Last season, the NPL told the world it has acquired an office complex for about N185 million - the expansive building is at Garki, Abuja, near the old Central Bank - though insider claims it cost about N130 million.

But in the 2009/10 budget, the NPL is building again. This time, they are constructing a conference room and an office for the board’s chairperson Oyuki Obaseki at the cost of N31 million, and they will pay Abuja Geographical Information Service N19 million for land allocation.

If the NPL bought an office complex for N185 million last season, are they saying the complex is too small to accommodate Obaseki’s office and a conference room?

Whatever happened to the furniture and fittings NPL used last year, we may never know, but this season they have budgeted N15 million for furniture and N5 million for fittings and interior decorations. This amounts to N20 million - the amount the NPL is paying two clubs for a whole season.

Last season, the NPL according to its audited report by the firm of Olaniyi Wale Odunaiya spent N2, 680,171 million on maintenance of vehicles. The high amount spent on vehicle maintenance show the number of cars at NPL’s disposal, this year they are purchasing two new cars. Though the brand is not specified, the two cars will cost N6 million in total.

The condition of the air conditioners in NPL’s office in Asokoro is unknown, but for this new season they have budgeted N1.5 million for 10 units of air conditioners and N2.5 million for 10 laptops. A million naira is set aside for the purchase of TV system and PABX system.

Information technology infrastructure, which includes acquisition of VSAT Equipment and bandwidth, networking and configuration of website, and central power back-up will cost N27 million, in spite of the fact that they already have a functional I.T department.

With about 15 staff on its pay roll and a few youth corps members, the NPL really takes human and capacity development serious, or how else would one justify their decision to spend N32 million on human and capacity development?

Operational expenditure

Top on the list of NPL’s operational expenditure is the board’s meeting which is expected to gulp N9.1 million this season.

Committee meetings will cost N34 million, while match officials allowances will cost N167 million. Independent monitors allowances will cost N53.2 million. Travel and tours cost N50 million.

The priority of the board is higher than football - its primary responsibility - as it has allocated N20 million to hotel expenses. To maintain it office, the NPL will spend N24 million, while it personnel will get N53.6 million in salary.

NPL’s events which include seminars, draws and retreats will cost the board N41.6 million, marketing and media N40 million, and season winding up expenses will cost N5 million, half of what a club will get for a whole season.

Whereas the NPL thinks little of the welfare of players, it thinks highly of the welfare of its staff, they have even planned for those who may be bereaved before the end of the season. For staff welfare, the body has set aside N72.5 million, out of this amount, N5 million is for bereavement.

Printing and stationeries will gulp N2 million.

Administrative expenditure

For the big men in NPL, imprest tops the list of budget for administrative expenditure and N10.08 million, a little above what each club gets. The chairperson gets N300,000 monthly, while the executive secretary gets N250, 000, other classes of staff share the balance.

Newspapers and journals will cost N1.08 million. One area of the budget that continues to generate controversy is fees, commission and grants.

They will, this year, pay N167, 924 million, almost equivalent of what the body is paying the 20 clubs as fees, commission and grants.

Title sponsorship marketing commission will get N92,180 million, that is 10 per cent of what NPL gets from Globacom. Since the deal is not new, why pay commission again? Same is true of the N64.5 million paid as legal fee, audit fee of N2 million and N9.2 million paid as subscription fee to club owners.

Office expenses will set the NPL back with N8 million, financial charges N13 million, debt settlement N193 million and investment expenses on its fixed deposit N50 million.

Response by sponsors and NPL

Efforts to speak with Obaseki, the board chairperson, Shehu Gusau, his deputy; Alhassan Yakmut, the scribe; and Ray Nnaji were futile as their mobile lines were either switched off or they would not just pick.

The only board member who spoke, Michael Idoko, talked about the league and NPL’s plans for the season, but once the subject changed to his opinion on NPL spending about 80 pe rcent of its budget on administrative and other expenditure, while a fraction goes to players and the clubs, Idoko got angry and began insulting, before he turned off his phone.

The spokesperson for the league’s main sponsor Globacom Telecommunications, Bode Opeseyitan, said he would love to grant an interview, but not on phone, as it is against company policy, for fears of being misquoted.

But the club owners, players and coaches decried the sharing formula; many believe the players are slaving on the field while the board members are smiling to the banks.

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