It was excitement galore on Sunday when curtain was drawn on the 2023/2024 Nigeria Professional Football League season at the New Jos Stadium in Jos, Plateau State.
It was a day to officially unveiled and present trophy to the new champions of the NPFL, Rangers International Football Club of Enugu.
It was also a significant day for GTI for the day marked two years of GTI’s emergence into the country’s elite football ecosystem through its strategic partnership with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) respectively.
The Group Managing Director of GTI, Abubakar Lawal could not hide his excitement witnessing “another historic moment on the transformation journey of our elite league and also to honour the eventual champions of the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Rangers International Football Club of Enugu.
He said: “In retrospect, today marks two years of GTI’s emergence into our country’s elite football ecosystem through its strategic partnership with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) respectively and steadily we are steering the ship of the elite league to higher grounds.
“As one of Nigeria’s foremost financial investment banking firms, be assured that GTI Group will continue to provide quality schemes aimed at enhancing the value of our elite league using internationally acceptable best practices. Therefore, we call on well-meaning Nigerian soccer fans, corporate bodies, individuals and multinationals to invest in our league through The Nigeria Football Fund (TNFF). Already many TNFF investors are reaping good returns from their investment.
“TNFF is approved and registered by The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an open-ended fund which is managed by GTI Asset Management & Trust Limited, a member of GTI Group. The principles of TNFF aligns with the national agenda as clearly stated in the National Sports Industry Policy (NISP) of turning sports into business as a financially rewarding industry that would be attractive to investors. It is on record that TNFF paid dividend in the first year of operations to reassure the existing and prospective investors of the potential to grow their investment through the specialized Fund.
“TNFF will harvest the potentials of the sports ecosystem with regards to people, talent, passion, resources and everything you can think of, in order to actualize our dream. TNFF is an enabler, and the project is massive such that employment, liquidity and infrastructure are being created.
“I want to reiterate that the benefits that will accrue from TNFF/GTI initiative on our domestic football will be super attractive and unique because it will help free up government revenue.”
GTI’s GMD appreciated the support for the “Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, Board of NFF ably led by Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau and NPFL led by Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye, Clubs, Fans, broadcast partners and media for believing in GTI’s vision of transforming football as a mere recreational sport to business.
“I urge Corporate Nigeria, private individuals and other stakeholders of Nigerian football to come forward and invest in the league. At this juncture, may I say, congratulations to Rangers of Enugu for emerging 2023/2024 champions of Nigeria’s elite league and carting home the coveted prize money of N150m,” he said.
