What does Aiteo stand to gain from its N2.5billion investment in football in Nigeria?

Or what does the Aiteo Group’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer consider as reward from the recent big money contract signed with the country’s football governing body?

This and follow up questions are bound to pop in the minds of the teaming football fans in the country who might be inquisitive.

You would recall that Aiteo Group’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Benedict Peters stole the evening at the inaugural edition of Aiteo/Nigerian Football Federation (Aiteo-NFF) Awards which held recently in Lagos.

He was celebrated with loud ovation for his extraordinary devotion to Nigerian and African football and was hailed as a lover of youths, and youth enterprise.

The award platform, sponsored by the Aiteo Group was been described as the first of its kind in the history of football in Nigeria. Legends and heroes, male and female, present and past were duly honoured for their contribution to the round leather game in the country.

Speaking at the ceremony, you would recall that the Deputy Managing Director of Aiteo, Francis Peters said Benedict Peters’ dedication to youth empowerment through sport has led to the remarkable outcomes in Nigeria’s football space in the past few months.

Peters who reckoned that the “Eagles qualification for the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup, added flair for home-based eagles at their outing in the recently concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco where they won the silver medal. And this has been the source of excitement for Nigerians.

“Benny, I salute you! Thank you for what you have done for our sport the Eagles through the journey and for being the consummate patriot. Only time and posterity will measure the true value of your efforts,” he said.

Aiteo, became the official optimum partner of NFF in May 2017 and Francis Peters revealed that Aiteo got into the game to empower and encourage Nigeria’s teeming youth population, and to use football as a uniting factor in the country.

“AITEO is an organisation that is committed to the vision of every African, particularly the youth. Aiteo’s business principle is framed around encouraging and empowering the teeming youth population in Nigeria and Africa to realise its potential whether in sport or any other chosen endeavour.

“This is the reason AITEO, Africa’s leading energy solution company, is investing in the game and rewarding excellence,” he said.

Peters also described football as a force capable of blurring Nigeria’s social, economic and ethnic lines, emphasising that “It brings us together to the same table to cheer our legends”.

To demonstrate the company’s unflinching commitment to its contractual agreement with NFF, Peters announced the payment of the sum of $600,000 and N320 million to the technical crew of all the teams for the whole of 2018, well beyond the World Cup.

Judging from recent performances, he also expressed optimism that Nigeria will meet up with expectations at the 2018 World Cup.

The event was attended by key leaders from the global and continental football community. Among them were FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad as well as the entire leadership of the NFF.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in his speech 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 high point of the Aiteo-NFF Awards was the unveiling of the winners. The award for Player of the Year, male category, went to Victor Moses while Asisat Oshoala was named Player of the Year, in the female category.

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Also present were key political figures including Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and his Delta state counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa. The majority leader of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila as well as two former governors of Delta state, Emmanuel Uduaghan and James Ibori were in attendance.

Nigeria’s top music artists, Dare Art Alade, Tiwa Savage, Patoranking, Reekado Banks, Kiss Daniel, Simi, Falz and their Ghanaian counterpart, Miss Vee, were there to thrill the audience. Record smashing Nigerian dance choreographer, Kaffy also put up electrifying performance that had all present in chills.

Aiteo’s sponsorship deal with NFF, which is worth N2.5billion is valid for five years, with a possibility of extension. The company committed itself to providing ﬁnancial support for the technical crew of the main National Team as the ‘Official Optimum Partner of the NFF’.

In June 2017, it also invested another N2.5 billion to underwrite the costs associated with organising the country’s Federation Cup, Nigeria’s equivalent of the English FA Cup, now christened Aiteo Cup.

In January 2018, Aiteo made a great outing in Ghana’s quiet capital city, Accra, as sponsors of Africa’s high-profile annual football awards ceremony organised by Confederation of African Football (CAF).