After a week of intense competition involving over 1,200 athletes representing 15 companies from Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the 20th Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG) will draw to a close this Saturday in Abuja.

The football final, the third-place match, and several athletics events will headline the closing-day festivities.

The football gold will be contested by NLNG and NMDPRA. NLNG secured its spot after a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout victory over arch-rival NNPC, while NMDPRA defeated OANDO 5-3 via penalties.

Ahead of the final, the third-place match between NNPC and OANDO will set the stage for the showdown between the two finalists.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) had kicked off the football preliminaries late last year in Port Harcourt, which LOC Chairman Dr. Suaiman Sulaiman described as a “dress rehearsal” for the more challenging Abuja leg.

The final day, however, will not be limited to football. Athletics competitions will run intermittently, with spectators enjoying 100m and 200m dashes, as well as 4x100m and 4x400m relays in both male and female categories.

The games will officially be closed by Bashir Bayo Ojulari, Managing Director of NNPC Limited. The ceremony will also host top government officials, executives of participating companies, and members of the public.

Reflecting on the week, Dr. Sulaiman said, “It has been a wonderful experience. We have seen a lot and learned a lot. We hope to improve on what we have built here.”

Similarly, Chairman of the Technical Committee, Tayo Akande, acknowledged minor hitches but declared the 20th edition as “the biggest and best NOGIG so far.”

He added, “It has been an awesome experience. Thanks to thorough planning, events have run smoothly, and we have not encountered any major setbacks in our activities.”