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, 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, Shehu 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, 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 chairman 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.
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