Better days for Rangers FC, as Ugwuanyi initiates bill for adequate funding

NFF boss Pinnick, lauds Governor

In a move aimed in re-packaging Rangers FC for the better, Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi says he had initiated a bill to the State House of Assembly for adequate funding of the Flying Antelopes, among others. He spoke while unveiling the insignia of the state’s sports festival during a sports summit on Thursday.

Governor Ugwuanyi explained that the initiative was to liberalize the ownership of the club in such a manner that interested members of the public could easily become co-owners of the club, which for decades, had remained the toast of football lovers across the country.

Announcing the move, which will generally enhance sports development in the Coal City State, Ugwuanyi stated that before long, a bill would go to the Enugu State House of Assembly for funding of sports.

“This bill will provide platform for all of us to own Rangers International. Rangers belongs to us”, he declared amidst ovation of “up Rangers, never say die,” from the crowd.

He said his administration had resolved to restore sports and make the state a breeding ground for talent hunt and sports tourism centre.

The governor told his audience that sports would afford the people opportunity in the areas of economic growth, empowerment, employment generation, poverty alleviation as well as progressive youths and social development.

He described sports as gold mine like some other sectors of the economy, and regretted that it had remained largely untapped in the country for the peoples’ over dependent on easy money from the oil boom era.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, who attended the event at the Dome Events Centre, Enugu, commended the governor for the initiative saying: “this is a digital thinking on the part of the governor of Enugu state to initiate this kind of bill for the funding of a football club.”