By Ben Efe
Chief executive officer of the League Management Company, Nduka Irabor is knocking on the doors of the Nigerian media with a plea to pay more attention to the happenings in the local league.

Irabor, lamented that the matches and players of the Nigerian Premier League are not getting adequate coverage by the media. He argued that the league was losing revenue and prestige, as the media in Nigeria is not helping the LMC’s efforts to re-brand club football in the country.

•From left: Mr Harry iwuala, Head of Special Projects, League Management Company; Mr Onochie Anibeze, Editor, Saturday Vanguard ; Mr Nduka Irabor, CEO, LMC and Mr Isichei Osamabi, Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) during the visit of Mr Nduka Irabor to Vanguard Corporate Office, Kirikiri, Canal, Apapa, Lagos. Photo Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

Nduka Irabor

“If the corporate world do not see the games of the Nigerian league how will they support it?. We need funds to run the league, but its not forth coming.

“For instance last weekend, there were ten games played in the local league. All we got were results. “But in the EPL , there were two matches played and it was all over in the papers,” Irabor submitted in our Corporate headquarters with senior editors of the Vanguard Media yesterday.

Irabor, a passionate football enthusiast and former front line journalist said that there are great football matches and great goals being scored weekly.

“Even though we have some problems, our league is good and it is about time the media in Nigeria give us ample space.

“I know that there is the argument that it is because Nigerians crave for European league. And that is why we give it an overdose of publicity here, but what happened to agenda setting by the media?”

He stated that fans are gradually returning to the football arena and with time the situation will get better, adding that the media must play their role to enable club football boom in the country.

“Lack of fans at the stadia is not restricted to our league. Football is suffering from the invasion of technology.

“You have to be a passionate and patriotic fan to be at the stadium to cheer your club. However, we are not doing badly, In Kano last weekend, there were 10,000 fans. In Akure and Enugu, we had 5,000 fans.

“People were not coming to the venues initially because they felt referees were fixing the matches. But that has changed. They are coming back in their numbers because teams win at away games. Officiating has improved tremendously and there are no security issues at the stadia. All we need is to make the stadia very hospitable and entertaining”