The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, has paid registration fees for 52 clubs in Kano State for this year’s Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO) competition.
Senator Barau, the founder of the Barau Football Club (Barau FC), paid the fees following the request of the Chairman of Nigeria Nationwide League One, Kano Football Clubs Forum, Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim, during a courtesy visit to him at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Ibrahim, a veteran football administrator, lamented the clubs’ inability to register for the competition and solicited intervention from the deputy president of the Senate.
“We are in the National Assembly to thank the Deputy President of the Senate for saving football in Kano State. He had supported us even before he established his football club.
“In 2003, when we came up with Abubakar Rimi Cup. The late Kano Governor gave us three names to contact for the sponsorship of the game.
“He asked us to meet the late emir (Ado Bayero), Malam Musa Gwadebe, and Hon Barau Jibrin, as he was then called. We went to Hon Barau with a request of N17,000, but he gave us N50,000 to enable us to organise the game. This was in 2003.
“Today, I can boldly say that he is the number one promoter and supporter of football in Kano and North. He has built 13 modern stadiums in Kano State. We are appealing to him to come to our rescue to pay registration fees for the NLO,” he said.
Responding, the Deputy President of the Senate announced the payment of registration fees for all the 52 clubs in Kano State.
” Nothing is too much to engage our youths. I’m paying the registration fees for all the 52 clubs today. The more, the merrier. Let them all participate in the NLO. As a footballer and a midfielder while growing up, I know the importance of participating in competitions like this.
“Aside from my club – Barau FC, I will continue to support other clubs to succeed. Football has many benefits, and it is very lucrative. We know how footballers are building health facilities, educational institutions, and places of worship, among others,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Yunusa Sulaiman, one of the players of Barau FC has been invited to the Nigerian Flying Eagles U-20 camp ahead of this year’s AFCON in Morocco.
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