Firm boosts consumer loyalty in games campaign

VDL Technologies, through its subsidiary, Markov Games AI, has announced that a Nigerian football fan has emerged as the winner of an all-expense-paid trip to Morocco to attend the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, following a nationwide raffle draw organised through Football Mania.

It said in a Friday statement that the winner, Sobowale Oluwafemi, a resident of Sagamu, Ogun State, was selected during a recent live YouTube raffle draw held. The draw marked the climax of the Football Mania Morocco 2025 Experience Campaign.

“In addition to the fully sponsored Morocco trip, three other subscribers—Akinwande Babafemi, Kayode Akintade, and Adeyemi Adeniyi—each won N100,000 cash prizes during the live draw, reinforcing the campaign’s positioning as a major digital engagement initiative for Nigerian football fans,” the statement stated.

Football Mania is a mobile and web-based football trivia platform that enables users to play daily and weekly quizzes, compete on leaderboards, and earn real-time rewards. Built for Nigeria’s youth and football-driven audience, the platform blends entertainment with education and delivers incentives ranging from cash rewards to exclusive experiences.

Speaking about the thinking behind the product, Chief Business Officer at VDL Technologies, Sam Olayemi, said the mission was to merge football passion with meaningful user engagement.

“Our goal at VDL Technologies is to build products that connect with people and deliver measurable value to partners, and the Morocco 2025 Experience brought that vision to life. We celebrated our users, rewarded their loyalty, and showed how far the Football Mania ecosystem has grown. Football Mania continues to thrive because Nigerian fans enjoy experiences that mix knowledge, fun, and real rewards.

“The AFCON Morocco 2025 Experience shows how digital entertainment can excite a mass audience while giving brands a new way to engage and build loyalty. Our work with MTN keeps proving that gamification can drive strong results in awareness, participation, and customer value,” he said.

The live raffle draw, streamed on YouTube, featured real-time audience engagement, a recap of the campaign’s milestones, and a transparent selection process. It became a major digital moment for football enthusiasts, especially MTN subscribers who participated throughout the campaign.

Reacting to his win, Sobowale described the outcome as completely unexpected. “I have enjoyed Football Mania for more than a year, and the experience has always been exciting. Winning something this huge still feels unreal. Thank you to Markov Games AI for creating a platform that makes moments like this possible.”

A physical award ceremony held on December 8, 2025, formally celebrated the winners. At the event, the Morocco trip recipient and the three ₦100,000 cash prize winners were officially presented with their rewards.

Senior Manager, Rich Media Services at MTN Nigeria, Chioma Nwobu, said the campaign aligned with MTN’s broader digital innovation agenda.