Official sponsor of the 2022 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc on Monday unveiled the $4.5m golden trophy for the tournament holding in January 2022 in Cameroon.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony which held at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, the Managing Director of TotalEnergies, Marketing Nigeria Plc, Dr. Samba Seye ably represented by Mrs. Lesley Baxter said that Nigeria is very important in African football, hence the need for the trophy tour in the country.
“This tour is displaying the actual golden trophy; the much-coveted trophy that will be given to the TotalEnergies AFCON winner. The tour will see the celebration of football across the country, particularly, in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja. This tour will give Nigerians the opportunity to have a feel of the tournament rush.”
Speaking further, the MD said: “Football is very dear to us, and AFCON is home to us at TotalEnergies as a multinational integrated energy company committed not only to proving clean, affordable and accessible energy to our customers in the more than 130 countries where we have a presence, we are also committed to the development of sports especially in Africa.
“This is why we decided to embark on a long-term eight-year partnership with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to further push our support to those who bring the passion of football to life.
“We look forward to Nigeria excelling at the AFCON tournament in Cameroon. We enjoin the players to remain focused and committed to the sport. We are also using this medium to send our support to the Super Eagles and the NFF,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare who physically attended the unveiling ceremony hailed the TotalEnergies management for being a strong pillar of sports in the country.
Former Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, who is brand ambassador of TotalEnergies expressed his joy for being part of the AFCON Trophy tour in Lagos.
“It is a moment of joy for me to be part of this historic event, and I thank TotalEnergies for choosing me as their Brand Ambassador.”
A team from Paris, France, had earlier arrived in Lagos on November 19 with the gold-plated trophy and will depart for another city today.