Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu Rangers International Football Club and Afrinvest Limited have signed a one-year official football jersey sponsorship agreement worth N50 million per football season.
The agreement has a renewal clause for the next two football seasons after the run of the current football season thus, making it a total of three consecutive seasons if the current initial season runs through.
Speaking on the signing in Enugu on Tuesday, Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State said that the signing was his vision to catalyse private sector investment and bring about the needed financial flow into the state.
Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said that the government was optimistic that very soon Rangers would be a highly rated and competitive club not only in Nigeria but in Africa.
“Rangers International FC remains a legendary club and a great brand that will soon be a re-branding focal point for Enugu State and Nigeria; as the club takes its exploits to national and continental levels.
“As a government, we thank Afrinvest for investing and sponsoring the jersey of the club and other positives that the company will be bringing to the growth of Rangers, football and the entire Enugu State,” he said.
Earlier, the Group Managing Director of Afrinvest, Prince Ike Chioke, said that the journey to sponsor Rangers started six years ago.
“In Afrinvest, we are grateful that Gov. Mbah and Rangers management made it a reality today,” he said.
According to Chioke, this partnership with Rangers is an opportunity to improve the future of football talents in the country and particularly in Enugu State and these talents will touch and impact other people’s lives in the near future.
“In Afrinvest, we believe that when we uplift the lives of young people through Rangers, they will later contribute to the overall development of the state, the country and humanity in general.
“We want to use Rangers as a case study; we will polish the club, raise its publicity and public respectability and make it an envy and pride of all Nigerians, not just the people in the South-East but all over the World,” he said.
Chioke lauded the General Manager of the Club, Amobi Ezeaku, and his management team for pressing hard for the sponsorship within the last six years.
The state’s Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Lloyd Ekweremadu, said that with the sponsorship, Afrinvest had given the state government the challenge to do more not just for Rangers but sports in general.
Ekweremadu said that with the relationship, he was optimistic that Rangers would soon attain unprecedented heights; “while the trophies and accolades would be coming soon.”
“I thank Afrinvest for giving us the leverage to stand out as the best and get more fan base, more national and international outlook and exposure as well as lots more,” he said.
In a vote of thanks, the General Manager of Rangers, Amobi Ezeaku, thanked Afrinvest and the state government for believing in the club and investing in it for the club to make the difference.
“Rangers will press on with its vision and mission to dominate the World through Africa by this visionary investment of Afrinvest,” he said.
Rangers’ Coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, assured Afrinvest, Rangers fans both home and abroad, that the club would make them proud this current season by being the best and finishing top.
The signing was witnessed by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) officials as well as ex-national and ex-Rangers players, which include: Christain Chukwu, Emmanuel Okala and Davidson Owumi among others.
