Team Integrity emerged the overall winner of the 13th NNPC Limited Sports Fiesta tagged “Abuja 2024” held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

The team cleared 21 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze medals to emerge the best team, while Team Sustainability secured 17 gold, 21 silver and 21 bronze medals to finish as runner up.

Team Excellence garnered 17 gold, 18 silver: and 22 bronze to clinch third.

They competed in 13 events including football, basketball, volleyball, chess, squash, scrabble, 8-ball pool, golf, tennis, table tennis, badminton, swimming and athletics.

In her closing remarks, the NNPC Ltd.’s Head of Human Capital Management (HCM), Ifeyinwa Mojo-Eyes, said that the sports fiesta demonstrated the company’s recognition that a healthy workforce is the bedrock of a productive and innovative organisation.

According to her, the fiesta, a vibrant celebration of athleticism and camaraderie, offers an unparalleled opportunity for NNPC Ltd. to foster team spirit.

“It enhances interpersonal bonds and promotes a culture of health and fitness within our company and a way of reaching out to our external stakeholders. Moreover, this event stands as a testament to our company’s commitment to holistic employee welfare.

“In a world where the lines between work and life are increasingly blurred, NNPC Limited’s dedication to creating avenues for physical and mental rejuvenation is commendable,” she said.

She also said that each goal scored, each lap completed and each game played contributed not just to personal health but to the strengthening of unity and the enhancement of NNPC’s corporate identity.

“The theme of this year’s biennial event, “Healthy workforce,” resonates profoundly with our company’s core values and overarching goals.

“This has emphasized the link between physical well-being and professional efficacy; a principle that is pivotal to our success both as individuals and as a collective,” she said.

Also speaking, the Executive Vice-President, Business Services, NNPC Ltd., Danladi Inuwa, said that the healthy workforce and productive organisation, echoed management’s commitment to fostering a healthy, motivated and committed workforce.

This, he said, was in pursuit of high performance, excellence and overall operational and commercial productivity.

“In restructuring the competition towards more efficiency, we have also collapsed the six locations where our business is based into three strategic zones. These three zones represent our core values of integrity, Excellence and sustainability,’’ he said.

Mr Inuwa expressed gratitude to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, for his kind steer and consistent support towards the success of the event.

“Without doubt, his astute leadership demonstrated over the years, has been pivotal to NNPC Ltd. recognition as the indisputable leader in sporting greatness, within the nation’s oil and gas industry.

“For the great sportsmen and women that will be representing NNPC Ltd. in the 19th edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games, from April 21 to April 27, in Abuja, I wish you victory in all the events. Now the stage is yours. Go out there, compete, win, lift the flag higher and make the entire NNPC family proud,” he said.

He said this is the first sporting event after the transition of NNPC from a corporation into a limited company, as stipulated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 provisions.

A novelty match was played during the events between selected players of former Super Eagles, led by Austin Okocha and the NNPC selected side.

The match ended 2-1 in favour of the ex-Super Eagles stars which had stars such as Tijani Babangida, Daniel Omokachi, Sunday Mba, Emmanuel Emenike, Garba Lawal and goalkeeper, Alloy Agu.

The biennial sports fiesta which started on February 18 and ended on Friday saw over 200 athletes from the company’s three zones participating in the event.

They are Port Harcourt/Benin, Lagos/Warri, and Abuja/Kaduna zones.

(NAN)