Funding NPFL adequately will entice players to stay in competition — Ex-International

An ex-international, Waidi Akanni, on Monday said that adequate funding of the Nigeria Professional Football League would entice young players to remain in the competition.
Akanni told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that lack of sufficient funds had made the league less attractive for most players to remain in it.
He commended the Umaru Dikko-led League Management Company for restructuring of the NPFL and urged the body to intensify its effort to secure sponsorship to enhance football development in the country.
Akanni said: “You have to develop your talents locally and we have to discourage younger players just running out of the shore of this country for small amount of money, that will not develop them and that will not develop us as well.
“So, I want to believe that whatever we do, we must always make sure that we do financially because for them to run out of the country is financial.
“So, we must develop them financially by getting more sponsors, getting more people to have interest in local players, in the local league itself and that will help our people grow.’’