Abuja- The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has secured the third largest sponsorship in the history of Nigerian sports with the signing of a deal worth N50 million a year.
Tammy Danagogo, Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sport Commission (NSC), said this in Abuja at the signing of a three-year sponsorship deal between the NCF and Montage Cable Television.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sponsorship will be renewed every year for the next three years.
The sponsorship is also in addition to the construction of two cricket pitches worth N55 million.
Danagogo who was represented by Alhassan Yakmut, the Director of Grassroots Sports Development, described the development as a landmark achievement for Nigerian sports.
“This achievement is between the private sector (Montage) and the Public sector (NSC).
“The NSC has keyed into the private public partnership by ensuring that government and companies unite together to raise the profile of sports in Nigeria for the benefit of the entire citizenry.
“The creation of awareness and the mobilisation for better return on investment as well as corporate social responsibility are the key cardinal reasons why Montage is in this business.
“You have invested wisely and the value of your investment has made you the third largest sponsor in Nigerian sports,’’ Danagogo said.
Lanre Olujitan, Chief Operation Officer, Montage Cable Television said the company was working towards being a pan-African company.
Olujitan noted that the company had acquired an outside broadcast van from Sweden to enable it beam live, all cricket matches when the league kicks-off by September.
“We sat down as a company and critically evaluated the whole process before we decided to sponsor cricket and I want to assure the cricket community that we are going to go all the way with you.
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“We want to replicate in cricket what other sponsors are doing for football so that it will translate to the universities and into the national game.
“This is to ensure that cricket is at the forefront of sports in Nigeria. We have a firm commitment to NCF and we will ensure that we keep our word,’’ he said.
Emeka Onyeama, President of NCF pointed out that the game of cricket would change in the country with the arrival of Montage.
“We are building an international pitch for the development and propagation of cricket in Nigeria.
“This is the foundation for development of any internationally acclaimed sports infrastructure and that is what we have done today.
“This infrastructure will be completed before September when we will start a national league.
“We have gotten letters from India, Australia, and England of their interest to partner with us in playing cricket in Nigeria.
“This means that when this ground is completed, there will be a lot of invitational tournament from a host of these countries that we see on TV coming to play here,’’ he said.
Onyeama noted that hosting international tournaments here would increase sports tourism and boost the Nigerian economy. (NAN)
