The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday signed a four year sponsorship contract worth the sum of N300 million with Premium Bank to develop grass roots football across the country.
The Bank has also become the Official Bank of the NFF and the National Teams.
President of NFF, Ibrahim Gusau, revealed that the agreement would be four years during which the financial institution would pay the football-ruling body the sum of N300 million annually (with a built-in clause for 10% increase every year).
He thanked the organisation for its significant support and encouragement of Nigeria sports in less than three years of its existence.
Gusau said: “During our interactions leading to the signing of this agreement, I was moved by the palpable enthusiasm and commitment of the organization to supporting and encouraging Nigerian youth all the way from the grassroots to stardom.
“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.”
Gusau, however, used the opportunity to assure Nigerians that his administration was committed to improving Nigeria Football in all facets.
On his part, the Managing Director/CEO of Premium Trust Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim, said the bank support for sports include partnership with the Athletics 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.
He said the bank, which prides itself as a leading 21st century financial institution, provides innovative solutions that impact its customers and communities to make a positive difference in their world.
Emefienim added: “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. “