The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has promised to work with partners to bring back the value of Nigerian football and rekindle the happiness it gives citizens.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, made the pledge 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 Shehu Dikko, the Kyari said NNPCL. was ready to be part of the initiative to revamp the nation’s football.
He assured that the national oil company would work closely with stakeholders in the sports sector to develop and commercialize the game of football in Nigeria.
“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 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, 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 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 NNPCL 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.
