NNPC pledges continuous support for Nigeria’s football development

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 (GCEO) of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Mele Kyari, made the commitment while receiving a delegation from the National Sports Commission (NSC), the International Management Group (IMG) and AfroSport Network at the NNPC Towers Abuja.

Addressing the delegation, led by NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, Kyari said NNPC Ltd. 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 is a tool of immense value that can bring untold benefits to the Nigerian economy and to the NNPC as a company.

Speaking earlier, NSC Chairman, 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.

He noted that the IMG, which promotes the English Premier League, was invited as a technical partner to leverage its experience in the sport.
The Guardian recalls that NNPC 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.

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