Nwaobilor Ananaba, Abia state commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, has said that the state government will henceforth pay attention to the sports business, stressing that the state stands the chance of leveraging on Aba, the state’s commercial hub, to boost its economy through sports merchandising.
Nwaobilor, made this known, Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the Fifty-1 Alliance Sports Centre, Umuafor, Aba, during the official launch of Supalig 5-a-side football championship, organised by Fifty-1 Alliance in conjunction with Abia state Ministry of Sports and Youth Development.
He described the Fifty-1 Alliance Abia State Football Supalig 5-a-Side Championship, as an epic achievement that has come to change the football landscape of the state, ushering in the move for business football into the state.
The Commissioner said that he inherited a lot of rots and neglect in sports when he came into office, but noted that Abia has changed in various places, which makes him believe that the state can bring sports economic zone within it, by leveraging on what is happening in Aba.
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“We’re thinking of sports as a business. Sports is not just jumping, running and getting medals. There’s a business behind it and that’s why athletes in America, Europe and the rest of the world make huge sums of money every week. So, we’re thinking towards that direction”, he said.
Nwaobilor said that sports merchandising is what Abia is moving into, as it is already making shoes, jerseys, sports apparels and other collections in Aba that are sold abroad.
According to him, “So, we want to leverage on that and start making sports merchandise in terms of football boots, football trainers and other sporting equipment.
“We just finished the NDDC Sports Festival in Uyo and we confirmed that what we wore were all made in Aba and we can do better by supporting them to get into the bigger business for sports and economic growth”.
The Commissioner said that the Supalig 5-a-Side Championship will have a big advantage, because of the live broadcast of the matches, which he said will go a long way in raising funds needed to keep the league running and thanked Governor Alex Otti for his full support.
Dike Dimiri, chairman, Fifty-1 Alliance, said that the company is among those that were attracted to invest in Abia, through, the sound leadership of Governor Alex Otti, which has assured many people that it is safe to invest in the state.
He also thanked Governor Otti for appointing a worthy sports commissioner, describing Nwaobilor Ananaba, as a round peg in a round hole, who has enabled the company to achieve most of its targets, since moving into the state.
Explaining the league in details, Dimiri said, “The system is simple. It has a prize money of ₦10 million, which will be shared evenly across the 8 clubs that’ll be taking part in the championship.
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“Each match is going to be 40 minutes. The Abia state Referees Association will be involved. There is nothing that will be done at the Supalig that’ll not be official.
“What we’re hoping is that as we progress, we’ll be able to take a database of players, knowing when they started playing and follow up their progress. The intention is to give them exposure.
“We need exposure from all ramifications, be it social media and conventional media. What we’ve done is to arrange for a live broadcast of the five-a-side Supalig matches, to be on YouTube and on the radio. In a matter of days now, we’ll also launch the website.
“So, any footballer who’s taking part in the Supalig will get maximum exposure. Above all, we believe every player should be paid and every club owner should experience some reward from their investment and that’s why we’ve put up that prize money of ₦10 million.
“There’s no relegation in this league. The day you get tired of managing your club, you get a buyer and sell the club. It’s not an asset you own for life. You’re free to sell and focus on other things. That’s the mentality we’re bringing to football in Nigeria.
