Money has always been an issue between the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) and club owners representing the stakeholders of football in the country.

It was again brought to the fore in Makurdi during NPL's annual congress held at Royal Choice Hotel. If not that reasoning allowed to prevail, the issue could have led to the impeachment of NPL Chairman, Oyuiki Obaseki. Ejiro Femi-Babafemi takes a look at the demand of the stakeholders on the premise of whether or not it was justifiable.

By Monday, July 20, they had arrived from their respective bases for the annual congress of Nigeria Premier League (NPL) held at Royal Choice Hotel, Makurdi, Benue State the following day. For these people, that came in different shapes and sizes the countenance on their faces did not suggest any other thing contrary. Their mission in the state capital was for serious business. When they were eventually ushered into their respective hotel rooms with the usual exchange of pleasantries, it was time to fine tune their strategies.

This was the itinerary for the 20 club owners in the Globacom Premier League. As far as they were concerned their major business was to ensure that the clubs they were representing were given a fair deal. So, while the board of the NPL ensured that the stakeholders were comfortable prior to the congress, it never knew that they had another contrived agenda. Unknown to the board, the stakeholders had met on the morning of Tuesday to take a unanimous position on their demand. The clubs that were not part of the decision were the ones that have been relegated to the professional league - JUTH FC, Akwa United, Nasarrawa United and FCT Abuja. In fact, some of them were part of the delegation that had paid the state deputy governor, Stephen Lawani, a courtesy call earlier.

Everything went on well even up to the point when the congress was formally declared open by Lawani, as there was no inkling that some feathers were going to be roughened. After the exit of the deputy governor, it was the turn of NPL Chairman, Oyuiki Obaseki, to take the floor as he welcomed the delegates to another brainstorming event. As it has always been the practice, the journalists that were accredited to cover the event had to take their exit before proceedings; thereby leaving only club owners, executives and NPL officials inside the hall.

Obaseki briefed the house on the challenges and achievements of the board in the preceding season. And of course in his usual manner, the NPL boss thanked the clubs for their cooperation and support that culminated to the overall success of the league notwithstanding some setbacks that were experienced in various venues.

All this while the club owners allowed Obaseki to have the say by simply giving him enough time. They had assumed that he would in his capacity as the chairman inform them of the latest development. But when it seemed he was not going to do that they decided to drop the bombshell. According to them, they had learnt from the grapevine that the league sponsor and GSM telecom service provider, Globacom, had increased the money to N900 million. Towards this end, they were demanding for their own share of N15 million for each club as against N10 million that they had been collecting in the last two seasons. At this point, a member of one of the clubs moved the motion for the increase to be implemented. The agitation drew surprise from a cross section of the board, but it was not enough to ruffle Obaseki; who simply told them that their demand could not be met. "If the money is increased that means other matters that require money would be affected and that we cannot risk that," he told the delegates. But that did not go down well with the executives, who still insisted that they could no longer continue collecting the former amount. "We all know that every season the sponsorship fee is usually increased by 10 per cent and we equally know that the amount was increased to approximately N900 million. So, why is NPL finding it difficult to raise it," a club official queried? "What are the other issues that will be affected? Let NPL tell us that is why we are here after all, the congress is for us to rub minds as stakeholders of the league. NPL needs to be transparent on the issues affecting the league. They can't continue to conceal matters from us. I had expected the board to have told us about the money, which I consider the top priority of the meeting," another official said. There were even rumours of impeachment against Obaseki following his defiance, but it never happened.

When neither of the parties was prepared to shift ground, it was the intervention of the chairman of the club owners, Davidson Owumi, that saved the day. He had to prevail on his members to suspend their action. By then, the NPL board and its officials had relocated to a section of the hall for a meeting and they agreed to set up a committee comprising the club owners to work with the secretariat on how the proposed budget could be harmonised. However, Niger Tornadoes Chairman, David Suleiman, and Team Manager of Gateway FC, Tony Rafa, were both appointed into the committee.

The main question that was asked after the congress is whether the stakeholders were justified to put forward the demand, given the fact that the league is still growing.

Technical instructor of FIFA and CAF, Adegboye Onigbinde, believed the warring parties would have to work together to make the league attractive. "If you are a carpenter, your ability to attract customers would depend on the quality of your work. Similarly, those managing our football would have to make sure that they make the game attractive. For instance, we do not see crowd at match venues and this should not be, given that football in this country has a tradition. It is not only NPL but even the club owners. I know they need money to develop their clubs, but they have to bring in ideas. No marketer would put his money on a product that would not yield returns. They have to see what they are putting their money into. Secondly, it is not the prerogative of the stakeholders to ask the marketer or sponsor, as the case may be, what they should be paid. It is left to the sponsor's discretion," he told Saturday Independent.

But an analyst, Nnamdi Okafor, supported the club owners for demanding for their share. "If in three years the clubs have justified themselves, I believe they are right to ask for an increase. If Globacom has given NPL about N900 million, we are talking of N300 million at the rate of N15 million per club that would go to the clubs for every season. That means the league body would be left with N600 million. So, I do not think that is too much for NPL to part with," Okafor said.

At the inception of the current NPL board in 2004, clubs in reference to the premier league started earning N10 million. This is a departure from the past when the first contract between Globacom and the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA), which totalled about N70 million, was singed. Then, it was an insignificant amount that the clubs were receiving. "So, I do not know why they are grumbling today. Is N10 million small money? "All I should expect from them is to allow the league grow for now, later they can make their demands," said a concerned follower of football on the condition of anonymity.

By and large, the issue remains an open-ended debate. For the stakeholders, their concern is the cash; but how it is spent is another kettle of fish. For NPL, it is to build an enduring legacy that would be a reference point in Africa irrespective of the challenges it is presently facing.