To raise the level of play, the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has started awarding contracts to its national team members.

The NCF's Secretary-General, Taiwo Oriss, made this statement during the federation's Annual General Meeting (AGM), which took place on Sunday in Abuja. Oriss stated that the plan was to model the nation's game after top African cricket-playing countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, and others.

"The council has decided that one of our key strategies will be to figure out how to get the most from our players and encourage them to contribute more to the game.
The council decided to give the board permission to pay the players an allowance to hire them.

"We recruited players for the national team and paid them; this has been the case since November 2022. So, that choice is being confirmed at this AGM right now.

However, he added, "I think it's a first step that will help the board achieve its desired results in terms of participation, promotion, and output."

The NCF representative also stated that plans were being made to obtain contracts for the other teams. Still, for the time being, only the men's senior team was covered by the contract.
"This is the first phase, and the male national team is our starting point. First, the group is split into Team A and Team B.

"At this time, we are only considering awarding contracts to members of Team A, the first team.

"This is merely a test strategy for us to achieve the goal for the federation. However, I can assure you that we want to begin where we are.

"I am confident that the board will take things to the next level and include the women and other teams as well," continued Oriss. "Hopefully, before the end of the year, in the first or second quarter.