Timeline.ng can authoritatively report that Investment banking body, GTI Group, has signed a 10-year strategic partnership deal with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Interim Management Committee (IMC).

The deal is for the improvement of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

This deal, according to the GMD of GTI Group, Mr.Abubakar Lawal, will cover title sponsorship, broadcast rights, match officials' indemnities, infrastructure development, properties, and ensuring that the 20 premier league clubs become independent of government sponsorship.

The projection by the group for the NPFL is expected to hit a mega figure of about N10 Billion in 2023/33 when the contract runs out, an insider revealed.   

"We expect that between now and the first three years of this deal, the Nigerian domestic league should have players in the NPFL earning about N1million at least as salary," the GMD said.

"It's going to be massive, it's pure business, and the clubs will stand to benefit a lot that will make them to stop being government-sponsored clubs again.

"This is because there will be so much money to go round for the clubs."

"We will secure title sponsors for the league, and will also attract money for the league from other sponsors "

"At the end of the 2022/23 league season, all the 20 premier league clubs will take 45 percent profit from the sponsorship money," Lawal disclosed.

"We're looking at the possibility that in three years from now government should hands off the funding of football teams in Nigeria, especially the Nigerian premier league clubs." 

He stated that the NPFL is now domiciled with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and it is on TNFF, thereby divorcing it from the stranglehold of any individual or group.