The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has pledged to work closely with stakeholders in the sports sector to develop and commercialise the game of football in Nigeria.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mr. Mele Kyari, made the commitment while receiving a delegation from the National Sports Commission, the International Management Group (IMG) and Afrosport Network at the NNPC Towers on Thursday.
Addressing the delegation which was led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission and Minister of Sports, Alhaji Snehu Dikko, the GCEO said NNPC Ltd was ready 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”, 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 and Minister of Sports, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, said football was fundamental to the economees of the best footballing countries in the world, adding that President Bola Tinubu has called for immediate action to revamp the game.
He said the multiplier effects of football were enormous and could facilitate the revamp of related industries across the value chain.
The Minister noted that IMG which promotes the English Premier League was invited as a technical partner to leverage their experience in the sport.
It could be recalled that NNPC Ltd once had a football club, the NNPC FC, Warri, which played in the Division One of the then Nigeria National League before it was disbanded in 1989.