Unveiling the EFCC FC is one of the most fascinating soccer news of the month of May. The trailblazing stride is somewhat another assurance of better days ahead of the Nigerian local sporting systems.

However, I have been following several reactions by Nigerians with respect to this recent development. As for me, it is such a timely idea, considering the fact that this innovation might turn out to be the light after the tunnel for various challenges that has been bedeviling NPFL in meeting up to international standards. Without any iota of doubt, massive sanitization is needed in the Nigeria Professional Football League.

In case you don’t know, my research results have clearly identified several factors that are so strange about the NPFL as compared to any other football league in any part of the world.

The first is the “Home No Dey Loose” mentality by the home team fans, players and coach. This is practically unacceptable in an ideal society for being totally against the rule of sportsmanship spirit in terms of fairness.
Right now, let us see if the presence of the EFCC FC in the NPFL will be able to sanitize these crude behaviours, while also restoring normalcy to the Nigerian Sporting System.

Explanatorily, the oddest fact about the Nigerian Professional Football League is that, no matter how strong the Away Team is, it can never win the Home Team (only in few exceptional cases). The effect of this is just that if an average team can strive to win few away matches, such will win the league at the end of the season. Hence, the NPFL table and form can be easily predicted, while non-challenging with few sense of creativity. This issue has been sending a wrong signal to the outside world concerning the NPFL.

Until we address the numerous underlying facts that have led to these challenges, we might be wallowing in the dungeon of under-developed sporting system in Nigeria.

It should be noted that Sports Tourism has the potential to curb youth unemployment in Nigeria, while also significantly adding to the country’s GDP and GNP. Brazil is a good example. Hence, there is a pressing need for Home-based Sports Development in Nigeria.

Apart from all the afore-listed dividend of curbing some of our societal problems in Nigeria, the development of the Nigerian local sporting activities (most especially football) will in-turn foster international relationship with other countries.

A well-organized Sporting System of a country will naturally attract world-class foreign players to willingly play in the NPFL. Not only that, local and foreign direct investment in the sports sector will also be fostered.

It is high time we wake up the sleeping giant. A well-maximized Sporting activity is a viable tool for the socio-economic development of Nigeria, most especially by facilitating National integration of the diverse ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
Here are few recommendations for consideration.

We hope to have a refined and redefined code of conducts for the fans, coaches, officials and referees of the NPFL. Necessary steps must also be taken to ensure the compliance of all the concerned entities with the well-laid down rules of engagement.
Relatively, appropriate disciplinary measures must be given to non-conformists, in order to serve as a lesson to other law-breakers.
Putting all these necessary measures in place, the NPFL table will definitely look like an ideal football league table.

In conclusion, another issue of national concern is the fact that most of the Nigerian youths are presently being placed under the siege of neo-colonialism through outlandish sporting systems. Have you ever sat down to ask yourself these rhetorical questions, that; “why are the Nigerian youths so proudly engrossed with the appellations – Man-U Fans, Chelsea Fans, Liverpool Fans, Real-Madrid Fans, Chelsea Fans, Arsenal Fans and other?”. Why are they not proud to call themselves Gombe United Fans, Enyimba of Aba Fans, Sunshine Stars Fans?”. I guess something is wrong somewhere, and until we address all the underlying issues that have caused this lapses, we are going nowhere in terms of meeting up with the international standard in our sporting systems.

In my maxim of national development; “the Government and the people both have crucial roles to play in the nation building process”. While the Government creates a conducive environment for businesses to flourish, the people must take the responsibility of patronizing the Naija locally made products, giving critical feedback to the business owners in order to channel a path for improvement and perfection.

I hope to see Nigerian Youths proudly shirting themselves with Kano Pillars jerseys, Rivers United Jerseys, Plateau United Jerseys and others, while also tagging themselves as their MFM FC Fans, Elkanemi Warriors Fans, EFCC FC fans, Katsina United Fans, Kwara United and others.
This is how to jointly develop a nation; an assurance of a greener pasture in the nearest future.

Thank you.
Written by Jawolusi Oluwaseun Solomon