THE Nigeria Football Federation has signed an agreement with Premium Trust Bank, making the financial institution the official bank of the NFF and the national teams.
The agreement was made official at a signing ceremony in the Federal Capital, Abuja, on Tuesday.
NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, who revealed that the agreement will be four years during which the bank will pay the football-ruling body the sum of N300 million annually (with a built-in clause for 10% increase every year), thanked the organisation for its significant support and encouragement of Nigeria sports in less than three years of its existence.
“We are excited to be associated with Premium Trust Bank because of its credible, close relationship with sports over its less-than-three-years life in the financial sector,” Gusau said.
“During our interactions leading to the signing of this agreement, I was moved by the palpable enthusiasm and commitment of the organization to supporting and encouraging Nigerian youth all the way from the grassroots to stardom.”
Managing Director/CEO of Premium Trust Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim, enumerated the corporate entity’s support for sports since its birth, including partnership with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, support for Nigeria’s world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles Tobi Amusan, sponsorship of the 2022 National Sports Festival in Delta State, support for Bayelsa Queens in its CAF Women Champions League campaign in Morocco and sponsorship of the 2024 Abuja Half Marathon, among others.
The bank, which prides itself as “a leading 21st century financial institution providing innovative solutions, which impacts its customers and communities to make a positive difference in their world,” is also billed as official sponsor of this year’s National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
“We have been very deliberate in our support for sports, because we are deliberate when it comes to impacting lives,” Emefienim said.
“Our belief is that the private sector has a role to play in providing the platform for the youth to showcase their positive talents and be useful to themselves and the nation, thereby supporting the efforts of the government.
“We recognise football as a strong unifying factor in a highly diversified nation like ours. Supporting the NFF and football to identify talents from the grassroots and nurturing them to stardom, and thus contributing to national development, is a clarion call that we have heeded and are stoutly committed to. I believe our coming into this space will definitely take Nigeria Football to new heights of excellence.”
Gusau used the opportunity to assure Nigerians that his administration is wholly committed to improving the country’s football in all facets, and stated that “while celebrating the coming of Premium Trust Bank which is the first huge partnership that we are signing, we call on credible corporate entities like the bank to come forward and support the Nigeria game.”
