Heartland goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa reckons he needs just two weeks as chairman of the League Management Company to take a firm decision about concluding the current Nigeria Professional Football League campaign.
All professional football has been on hold in Nigeria since 18 March due to the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 150 lives and infected nearly 5,000 people in the country.
The LMC says it is committed to playing out the current campaign and has ruled out a repeat of the 2017/2018 season which was truncated with 14 games left of the campaign.
But Ezenwa believes a superior decision in the best interest of all parties given the severity and unprecedented nature of the pandemic would be to abandon the campaign and declare Plateau United champions.
The Jos-based side led the league standings by four points ahead of second-placed Rivers United with 13 matches left before the league was suspended.
“If I were put in charge of the LMC just for 2 weeks I would just end the league in peace,” Ezenwa told Lagos-based radio station Lagos Talks.
“Plateau United should be league winners and the other people following should represent the country in CAF [inter club competitions] and every other thing because, this situation we just passed through is a big shock.”
The Super Eagles mainstay was particularly worried that the league would be incapable of enforcing social distancing rules which he said, could jeopardise the health of his family.
“Health is wealth. I appreciate my kids, I love them so much, I don’t want anything to happen and for anything not to happen to them is for me not to go out and mix with people so that you don’t know when you contract the virus and every other thing.
“So, coming from this shock to coming and start playing the second round it’s not going to be an easy task. Kano, we have cases, Port Harcourt we have cases, Lagos we have cases so how are we going to feel free to travel to these states?” he wondered.
The former Katsina United goalie also said that it was time for the Players Union to make their stance known about restarting the campaign.
“The players union is made up of the captains I am the assistant captain of the team but for now we are not having a strong meeting about this situation of things now.
“I understand that the last time we discussed about a matter in the player’s union was when late Chinedu Udoji that was the last time I know we discussed about such things but I will make some calls because it is something that is worth discussing.”
