Nigeria: Mobil Pulls Out of Athletics Championships

15 June 2011

Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) has pulled out of the sponsorship of the annual All Nigeria Open Athletics Championships with immediate effect.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director,Gloria Essien-Danner,Mobil did not state any reason for pulling out of the sponsorship of Athletic Federation of Nigeria’s flagship event but thanked the federation for the opportunity it got with its joint venture partner,the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to contribute to the development of sports in Nigeria.

The statement reads thus:The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) /Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) joint venture confirms that effective 2011 it will no longer be the title sponsor of the Nigerian Track and Field Athletics Championship, which has become the foremost event for selecting Nigeria’s representatives to major international athletics championships.

The joint venture in the 21 years that it sponsored the ‘Nigeria/NNPC/Mobil Track & Field Championship’ contributed to the development of sports in Nigeria in keeping with its commitment to developing the youths of our country, and providing them with opportunities to contribute to national development and progress in various capacities.

We appreciate the opportunity to sponsor AFN’s flagship property through the years and wish the association well in its endeavours.

Meanwhile AFN president,chief Solomon Ogba has thanked Mobil for sponsoring its flagship event for 21 years and believes the company’s decision to pull out may not be unconnected with the reality that the championships has grown in geometrical fashions and needs much more funding than it is presently getting.

‘We at the federation want to thank Mobil and its joint venture partner,the NNPC for their sponsorship of the All Nigeria Open Athletics Championships. We believe the joint venture has taken the championships to a height that requires much more funding than it is presently getting’,said Ogba in a statement.

The AFN boss assures that the federation under his leadership will take the championships to a new height that Mobil and NNPC will be proud of in no distant future.

‘As part of our resolve to take the championships and athletics to a higher level,we have secured an annual N50m sponsorship deal for the All Nigeria Open Athletics Championships with Cross River State Government with effect from this year’s edition”.

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