The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has pledged to work closely with stakeholders in the sports sector to develop and commercialize the game of football in Nigeria.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd., 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 Abuja.
Addressing the delegation which was led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, the stated-owned oil company GCEO was ready to be part of the initiative to revamp the nation’s football.
Kyari said: “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.”
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 the NNPC Ltd. as a company.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, said football was fundamental to the economies 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 chairman noted that IMG which promotes the English Premier League was invited as a technical partner to leverage their experience in the sport.
The stated-owned oil company once had a football club, the NNPC FC, Warri, which played in Division One of the then Nigeria National League before it was disbanded in 1989.
