NNPC partners with stakeholders to revamp Nigerian football
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has pledged its commitment to revitalizing and commercializing football in Nigeria through strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the sports sector.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd., Mele Kyari, made this promise on Thursday while hosting a delegation from the National Sports Commission, International Management Group (IMG), and AfroSport Network at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.
Addressing the delegation led by the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, Kyari affirmed NNPC’s readiness to be a prime partner in rejuvenating Nigerian 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,” Kyari said.
He emphasized the significant economic and social potential of football, describing it as a tool capable of driving economic growth and enhancing NNPC’s brand value.
Minister Shehu Dikko highlighted the critical role of football in the economies of leading footballing nations, underscoring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to urgently revamp the sport in Nigeria.
“Football has enormous multiplier effects, capable of revitalizing industries across its value chain,” Dikko noted, adding that IMG, the global promoter of the English Premier League, was engaged as a technical partner to lend their expertise to the initiative.
The collaboration also rekindles NNPC Ltd.’s historical association with football. The company previously operated NNPC FC, Warri, a football club that competed in Nigeria’s Division One league until it was disbanded in 1989.
