Nigeria Content Online

Hopes of getting a
title sponsor for the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) could be fulfilled
today as a newly inaugurated bid committee prepares to hold talks with
companies interested in sponsoring the nation’s elite football division.

The bid committee
which was yesterday inaugurated by the League chairman Davidson Owumi,
is headed by his vice chairman, Shehu Gusau. Other members include Joe
Amene, Adebayo Wopa, Kweku Tandon,

Nelson Ine, Isaac Danladi and the NPL’s head of marketing, Gabriel Egwu who will act as the committee’s secretary.

The Nigerian
Premier League, which enters the seventh week this weekend, has been
without a title sponsor since telecommunications outfit Globacom pulled
out midway through the 2009/2010 season; a situation that has starved
the board of crucial funds required to properly run the league.

Meanwhile, as NPL
officials remain confident that a deal will be sealed very soon, some
observers have fingered the ongoing leadership tussle between Davidson
Owumi and Rumsey Baribote as a possible clog in the wheel of the latest
sponsorship drive.

It would be
recalled that Coca-Cola recently terminated its contract with the
Nigeria Football Federation, citing the crisis as a major reason for
pulling out as it was hurting their brand name.

Coca-Cola’s contract with the NFF to sponsor the national teams was worth N100 million annually, and was due to run until 2014.

Reports suggest that former sponsors of the league, Globacom are also in the race to bank roll the league again.

Globacom pioneered
the mega-million naira sponsorship of the Nigerian league. Its deal
with the NPL, worth over nine hundred million naira, is the highest
ever by any individual organization in the history of Nigerian sports.

However, the
relationship between the telecommunication company and the NPL went
sour thus leading to Glo pulling out last season.

In a related development, the NPL chairman, Owumi, has assured the companies bidding of fair treatment from the bid committee.

He also disclosed
that corporate outfits that have already indicated their intention to
land the Nigeria Premier League title sponsorship have backed their
intent with a non-refundable deposit of one million naira.

“About two organisations have shown interest in sponsoring the
League,” said Owumi. “They have paid one million naira each as intent
fee.”