The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Premium Trust Bank on Tuesday announced a partnership deal worth N300 million and which will run for the next four years.
Speaking at the signing ceremony which was held at the Sunday Dankaro House, NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau revealed that the agreement will be four years during which the financial institution will pay the football house the sum of N300 Million annually (with a built-in clause for 10% increase every year).
The NFF boss, however, thanked the bank for its significant support and encouragement of Nigeria sports in less than three years of its existence.
“We are excited to be associated with Premium Trust Bank because of its credible, close relationship with sports over its less-than-three-years life in the financial sector. During our interactions leading to the signing of this agreement, I was moved by the palpable enthusiasm and commitment of the organisation to supporting and encouraging Nigerian youth all the way from the grassroots to stardom.
“I cherish this partnership a lot because of the history you have had with sports and what you have done. The investment you have put in short time has shown how passionate you are about sports. I want to assure you that as a board, we are going to give you support and you are going to enjoy the privileges as a partner.
“While celebrating the coming of Premium Trust Bank which is the first huge partnership that we are signing, we call on credible corporate entities like the bank to come forward and support the Nigeria game.
“I also want to assure Nigerians that we’re not going to relent in our effort to develop football in Nigeria. Running football involve a lot of money and this is what we intend to get from our sponsors,” Gusau said.
The managing director/CEO, Premium Trust Bank, Mr Emmanuel Emefienim, in his remarks, enumerated the corporate entity’s support for sports since its birth, including partnership with the Athletic Federation of Nigeria; support for Nigeria’s world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles Tobi Amusan; sponsorship of the 2022 National Sports Festival in Delta State; support for Bayelsa Queens in its CAF Women Champions League campaign in Morocco and sponsorship of the 2024 Abuja Half Marathon, among others.
“We have been very deliberate in our support for sports, because we are deliberate when it comes to impacting lives. Our belief is that the private sector has a role to play in providing the platform for the youth to showcase their positive talents and be useful to themselves and the nation, thereby supporting the efforts of the government.
“We recognise football as a strong unifying factor in a highly diversified nation like ours. Supporting the NFF and football to identify talents from the grassroots and nurturing them to stardom and thus contributing to national development, is a clarion call that we have heeded and are stoutly committed to. I believe our coming into this space will definitely take Nigeria Football to new heights of excellence,” he said.
Also present at the occasion were Chairman of NFF Technical and Development Sub-Committee, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa; Chairman of NFF Security Sub-Committee, Alhaji Babagana Kalli; NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi and the management of the bank.
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