Otti to tackle youth unemployment through sports value chain
In an effort to create employment youths through sports, Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has launched the Abia State Football ‘Supalig’, Nigeria’s first state-wide football league.
The Governor, who was represented at the launching in Umuahia, by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Sir Nwobilo Ananaba, disclosed that the league is meant to massively reduce youth unemployment through engagement in the sports value chain.
He explained that a key mandate of his administration is meaningful engagement of youths in ways that allows them to make a living through the expressing their sporting and entertainment talents.
He said; ”Resolving the challenge of youth unemployment requires that Abia significantly improve the utilisation of the available sports assets, especially the two main stadia in Umuahia and Aba, which are mostly used for just 19 days out of the 365 days in a year.
“When you do the Maths you will discover the immense negative returns on investments (ROI) on these multibillion Naira investments which should otherwise be generating revenue for the government, while at the same time allowing our youths to express their sporting and entertainment talents for reward.
“Having looked at things properly, the state saw it as a no-brainer to wholeheartedly support the launch of a state-wide football league, Abia State Supalig, which will have its matches played at the Enyimba and Abia Warriors Stadiums in Aba and Umuahia.
He disclosed that for Abia to actualize the Supalig, the state has entered into a Public Private Partnership, PPP, arrangement with Fifty1 Alliance Limited, a sports and entertainment assets management company.
“To ensure the smooth running of the Suplig’s affairs, an eight (8) member League Management Committee (LMC) will be inaugurated and membership drawn from Fifty1 Alliance, club owners and experienced sports and football administrators.
“The Abia Supalig will comprise of one division only, called the Supalig, and there will be no promotion or relegation to enhance the value of the clubs as an asset to its owners with potential upside resale value.
“The Supalig will have 9 teams, 3 teams from each of the senatorial zones in Abia State, with 72 matches played across each season
“The Supalig will have prize money in the region of N20m to N25m to be shared by the Supalig clubs according to their finishing position at the end of the league season. Subject to other revenues there is scope for an increase in the value of the prize pot.
“Team ownership will be determined through a bidding process supervised by Fifty1 Alliance and the Abia State Ministry of Youth and Sports.”
He also explained that the Supalig will come at no expense on the part of the state government as the government will only be utilizing its already established infrastructure, stressing that it will rather bring about revenue generation for the state government ,including foreign exchange from potential broadcast rights and other activities.
Speaking at the occasion, Managing Director of Fifty1 Alliance, Mr. Mike Dimiri, explained that his intention is to create more value by taking football opportunities in the national leagues and creating more opportunities for Sports business.
He said that the Supalig would create a balanced development of the state with the capacity to raise the GDP of the state by at least 5% in the short term if well executed.
Some of the benefits of the Supalig he listed include, “Training of youths in sports business and sports media production, Investment in and maintenance of the state’s sports assets, Utilisation of planned infrastructure such as the airport and new stadium and prevention of talent drain out of the state as new high-value jobs are created.”