BusinessDay 13 April 2018

4 Friday 13, April 2018 ww.businessdayonline.com facebook.com/businessdayonline @businessDayNG C002D5556
BUSINESS DAY
EAGLES BRAND SOARS
ON BACK OF INVESTOR
CONFIDENCE
… Aiteo, Nigerian Breweries,
Wapic, Coca Cola top list of
investors
ANALYSIS
Since Nigeria qualified for this
year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia,
Nigerian football has seen a
significant progress owing to more partnership
from corporate investors.
The coast looks clear for Nigeria at the
FIFA World Cup in, as Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) is more motivated than
ever. The Federation led by Amaju Melvin
Pinnick has steps up its bid to attract formidable
investors into Nigerian football,
Super Eagles.
No doubt, the Super Eagles have improved
tremendously in their performance
and have restored the confidence
of esteemed Nigerian fans and attracted
corporate attention that have shown interest
to drive the nation’s senior soccer team
to the next level.
For instance, Aiteo Group in 2017
signed a five-year mega sponsorship deal
worth N2.5billion with the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) to boost football
development in the country.
The deal has helped to alleviate the
issues of non-payment of salaries of all
national team coaches and bonus and
allowances of Super Eagles World Cup
qualifications and campaign.
The Nigeria Football Federation and
Nigerian Breweries Plc on Friday, February
9th signed a five-year contract worth
N2.2 billion aimed to support Nigerian
football.
Jordi Borrut Bel, NB Plc’s Managing
Director/CEO pledged the total commitment
of their establishments to every letter
of the contract.
Bel reiterated: “We are indeed delighted
about this partnership between Nigerian
Breweries plc and the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF). This relationship
provides us an opportunity to celebrate
the true Nigerian spirit that is fuelled by
patriotism, passion and desire for victory,
through the platform of Football.”
NB Plc set to commit the sum of
N450million to the relationship every
year. Itemuagbor, a sports marketing titan
who had brokered several relationships
for Nigerian Football over the decades,
said: “The important thing is not just the
amount of money being paid as rights fee;
it is the activation of the contract, which
Nigerians Breweries and ourselves as the
Sponsorship Agency are committed to doing
in a big way.”
Amaju Pinnick, president, Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF), mentioned
that the potential in Nigerian sports is
limitless, adding, however, that the government
needs to create enabling environment
for sports industry to thrive.
“Twenty-five years ago, the British government
invested £200 million in the Premier
League and today, the EPL is worth
£8 billion. If we create enabling environment
with proper structure, sports can
contribute significantly to Nigeria’s GDP
more than any other sector,” said Pinnick.
“We must engage reputable brands to
drive sponsorship for the national team. If
every geopolitical zone concentrates on its
strengths and harness them properly, Nigeria
will fly the flags high at international
competitions and thus get global attention
for investors to come in and invest,” he
added.
The collaboration between AITEO
and NFF is the latest in a series of partnerships
that have delivered superior quality
of football in Nigeria. So far, AITEO has
paid the sum of $600,000 and N320 million
to cover its contractual obligation of
providing support to the technical crew
of the Super Eagles for the whole of 2018,
well beyond the World Cup.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, said,
“I was told that in Nigeria football is passion,
but it is a lie because it is more than
that. In Nigeria I was told that football is
love, but it is a lie it is more than that. In
Nigeria, football is life.”
The Nigeria Football Federation and
WAPIC Insurance plc recently signed an
agreement worth N500million that conferred
on the insurance giant the title of
‘Official Insurance Services Provider and
Co-Sponsor of the NFF.’
The contract provides excellent safety
and security for National Team players
and officials while on duty and offer a well
–paved route for them to have a better future
through proper pension fund.
Yinka Adekoya, Managing Director,
WAPIC Insurance plc, affirmed that the
company was excited to team up with Nigerian
Football, given the huge role that
football plays in nation –building and the
excitement that it generates among the
youth and adults alike.
“The NFF is an organization that is
making Nigeria proud through the excellent
results of the National Teams and
WAPIC is a top financial institution seeking
to be the most enjoyable company to
do business with and to become a top 20
financial services institution in Nigeria by
2019.”
The agreement came only 48 hours after
beverage behemoth Coca-Cola signed
up as ‘Official Soft Drink and Co-Sponsor
of the Nigeria National Teams,’ and Shehu
Dikko, who is also NFF’s Strategy Committee
head, confirmed to NFF hat more
partnership agreements are on the way in
the coming weeks.
The move is gradually revamping the
nations’ sports industry. It is about initiatives
likely to impact not just a small crop
of people, but also the generality of the
populace. After all, football is one sport
that unites us as a nation despite our tribal
differences.