L-R: GTI Cheque Presentation... Bar. Isaac Danladi, representing NPFL clubs; Alh Ibrahim Gusau, NFF President; Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, NPFL Chairman and Abubakar Lawal, GMD of GTI.

When it was evident that the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) was almost at its lowest ebb in terms of self-sustenance since the history of the elite football league in 1972, a rescuer came in handy in the name of GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited.

As a kicker, GTI Group is one of the big players in the Nigerian financial market and buoyed with a crop of well-tutored financial experts with good knowledge of the sports sector, it became necessary that their wealth of experience could turn around the fortunes of the elite league from obscurity to prominence. The company which is duly licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), offers products and services like Wealth Management, Liquidity Management, Structured products and Mutual Funds (Collective Investment Schemes). Their clientele of retail and institutional customers spread across several sectors of the economy.

GTI, with a Vision “To be a global asset management firm renowned for innovative products and services,” and also a clear-cut Mission of an “Asset management firm committed to delivering excellent client-centred products and services and optimal returns, using cutting-edge technology, innovation and professionalism,” the Group Managing Director, Abubakar Lawal and his team decided to venture into the rescue mission of the NPFL with the focus to leverage on their professional expertise to reposition the sport asset for accelerated growth and development.

Faced with the enormous challenges that have befallen the NPFL, GTI commenced the surgical operation with the support of the Gbenga Elegbeleye-led management team in charge of the NPFL. Every effort was geared towards bringing the elite league back to life using international best practices and a well-designed structured fund “The Nigeria Football Fund” that made it possible for Nigerians to re-energize their league as investors. This unique approach and one of its kind in the world gave every citizen in the country an opportunity to invest in the fund and also reap good Returns on Investment (ROI) from the future growth of the NPFL.

(To be continued in Part 3)