Rangers International Football Club have formally signed an education partnership with the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, concluding months of engagement that began with a courtesy visit to the institution in July 2025.
The partnership was sealed today following proposals laid out earlier in the year by Rangers General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Barrister Amobi Ezeaku, who had called for a structured alliance between both institutions built around education, professional development and football excellence.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ezeaku described the agreement as the formalisation of a vision first shared during Rangers’ last engagement with IMT.
“I’m happy to share that story from our last visit where we had a very deep interaction with respect to collaboration between two powerful institutions, one educational and the other football and sporting institution,” Ezeaku said.
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“Today we are happy that we have now formalised that partnership after signing this document, and we are happy and proud to say that the Institute of Management and Technology has become an official educational partner of Rangers International Football Club.”
Ezeaku explained that the partnership would go beyond symbolism, outlining practical areas of collaboration that would directly impact students, players, staff and fans of the club.
“From today, our fans should not be surprised to see knowledge sharing, to see students from IMT having first-hand team trials with Rangers, to see players from Rangers studying in IMT, to see staff from Rangers coming to IMT to do specialised courses,” he said.
“We believe in the integrity of the educational qualities of IMT and the values that IMT upholds.”
The Rangers CEO also highlighted the significance of the agreement within the broader Nigerian football landscape, describing it as a rare and forward-looking initiative.
“Today is also epoch-making because in the history of Nigerian football, only a few clubs have gone down this road,” Ezeaku noted.
Photo Credit: Rangers Media
He further linked the collaboration to the development philosophy of the Enugu State Government, stating that both institutions were aligned with the administration’s focus on innovation and practical execution.
“Under the administration of His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, two powerful institutions who understand the disruptive innovation mantra of the governor are not only doing the talking, but working the talk,” he said.
Ezeaku added that the partnership would immediately reflect in Rangers’ matchday identity, revealing that IMT would now be regarded as an extension of the club’s home.
“By Sunday, when we file out to play against Ikorodu from Lagos, it will be officially announced that IMT has become another home for our great club,” he said.
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In his closing remarks, the Rangers boss emphasised the long-term impact of the alliance, anchoring it on the link between education and sports.
“What has happened here today will have reverberating effects in years to come,” Ezeaku said. “Education and sports bring about full-mindedness. Education and sports generate a full being mens sana in corpore sano, a healthy body in a healthy mind. That is what IMT and Rangers have now come together to preach and to practise.”
IMT Rector, Professor Gozie Ogbodo, also welcomed the partnership, describing it as a mutually beneficial relationship that would inspire students and broaden their perspectives.
“We are together to partner and empower each other,” Ogbodo said. “For our students, I see a situation now where many young people interested in football will begin to see their role models, work with them and interact with them.”
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Using Ezeaku as an example, the Rector stressed the importance of combining education with sporting ambition.
“They will realise that this general manager of Rangers was first a lawyer before he became the general manager,” Ogbodo noted. “You can’t do one without the other. You can play football and be an international star, but it is also important to have education.”
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He added that the proximity to Rangers players and officials would motivate students academically and professionally.
“They will now see that it is actually the ideal thing becoming educated and being a football star,” he said. “That proximity will make them better students and broaden their horizon.”
Photo Credit: The Athletic Images
Professor Ogbodo concluded that the partnership would benefit not just both institutions but Enugu State as a whole.
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“What we have done today will benefit IMT, benefit Rangers International, and ultimately benefit Enugu State in general,” he said, while thanking the state government, the Rangers and IMT teams, and the media for their support.
