The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has pledged to partner with stakeholders in the sports sector to develop and commercialise football in Nigeria.
In a statement released by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Olufemi Soneye, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the company, Mr. Mele Kyari, made the commitment while receiving a delegation from the National Sports Commission (NSC), the International Management Group (IMG) and AfroSport Network at the NNPC Towers on Thursday.
While addressing the delegation led by the Chairman of the NSC and Minister of Sports, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, Mr. Kyari expressed the readiness of the company to be part of the initiative to revamp the nation’s football.
“NNPC will be a prime partner in the journey to bring back value to our football, to reshape it, re-engineer it and bring happiness to our people,” the GCEO stated.
He expressed delight that the company was identified as a critical partner in the journey of making Nigerian football work again, stressing that football is a tool of immense value that could bring untold benefits to the Nigerian economy, and to the NNPC Ltd. as a company.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr. Dikko explained that football is fundamental to the economies of the best footballing countries in the world, emphasising that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for immediate action to revamp the round leather game.
He noted that the multiplier effects of football are enormous, and could facilitate the revamp of related industries across the value chain.
The minister also disclosed that IMG, which promotes the English Premier League (EPL) was invited as a technical partner to leverage their experience in the sport.
Recall that the company once had a football club, the NNPC FC, Warri, which played in the Division One of the Nigeria National League (NNL) before it was disbanded in 1989.
