The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has pledged to collaborate with stakeholders in the sports sector to promote and commercialize football in Nigeria.
Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd., made this 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.
During the meeting, which was led by Alhaji @ShehuDikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Kyari expressed NNPC Ltd.’s readiness to support efforts aimed at revitalizing 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”, Kyari 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 was a tool of immense value that could bring untold benefits to the Nigerian economy and to the NNPC Ltd. as a company.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, said football was fundamental to the economies of the best footballing countries in the world, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for immediate action to revamp the game.
He highlighted that the multiplier effects of football are vast and could drive the revitalization of related industries across the entire value chain.
The Commission Chairman also mentioned that IMG, which promotes the English Premier League, had been invited as a technical partner to leverage their expertise in the sport.
It is worth noting that NNPC Ltd. once had its own football club, NNPC FC Warri, which competed in Division One of the former Nigeria National League before it was disbanded in 1989.