Nigeria Rugby Team Departs for Mauritius, Partners Buga Win

Chinedu Eze

The Nigeria Rugby team on Tuesday departed Nigeria for the pre-Olympic qualification in Mauritius through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

This is as the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation has formed a long-term partnership with  Buga Win Company for the sponsorship of rugby sporting events in the country and beyond.

President of Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, Dr. Demola Are; Chairman of Buga Win Company, Mr. Ayodele Omogbeyin and  Managing Director of Buga Win, Otunba Charles Farimoye,  respectively were at the international airport to bid the team well.

In his remarks at the airport with journalists, Dr Demola Are stressed that the male team christened the Black Stallions made up of 12 players would participate in the pre-Olympic tournament, which would hold in Mauritius, hoping that the team would perform very well to further aid their qualification for the Olympics.

According to Dr Are, nine of the 12 players that would represent Nigeria at the tournament are from the United Kingdom, one from the United States, while the other two players are from Nigeria.

Are who is also the Chairman, Marketing Committee, Nigeria Olympic Committee, expressed delight with the partnership with Buga Win, saying that it was geared towards improving the image of the sport in Nigeria.

He regretted that the ban slammed on Nigeria by the World Rugby Council in 2021 slowed down the progress of the sport in Nigeria, but expressed the joy that lifting the ban  of the team by the council would further increase its awareness among Nigerians.

He praised Buga Win for coming to the rescue of the team.

“Buga Win has come to our rescue when we needed it most with this partnership. Buga Win is an organisation that is out to empower Nigerians in entertainment and lottery activities. Rugby is a very physical contact activity and our young people are participating in it.”

In his comment, Mr. Ayodele Omogbeyin, Chairman, Buga Win said that the sports lottery company would continue to encourage sporting activities in the country.

Omogbeyin said that its partnership with the rugby federation was on a long term, which would be reviewed periodically.

Managing Director, Buga Win, Otunba Charles Farimoye, stated that part of the partnership with the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation was to catch them young from primary, secondary schools and tertiary institutions.