The Fame Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) advocating for the girl child and women’s rights, on Friday organised a football tournament in Abuja to mark the 2025 International Women’s Day.
Various women’s teams, including Bet Naija Foundation, Fame Foundation, Pro-Social, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), ASHWAN, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), took part in the tournament at the Area 3 FIFA pitch.
Aderonke Atoyebi, the executive director of the Fame Foundation, said the organisation chose soccer to mark the event because sports is the only unifying factor in Nigeria.
“The only thing that unifies Nigeria, that unifies us, is sports. And as an organisation, we are very intentional about the usage of sports for development, and over the years we have seen evidence that there have been a lot of positive results from this,” she said.
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“We have women from the highest cadre of the society here, women from the grassroots, market women, IDP women, career women, and all of that, and some people with disabilities are also here. No woman has been left behind as far as this tournament is concerned.
“We are not competing with the men; we need to know that and work with them. And this is why we decided to bring two men in the government, the youth minister and the chairman of the Nigerian Sports Commission, to be part of this.
“The idea is to let you know that we are with you, we are not competing with you, and we are not seeking to be like the men. We are women, and we want to be treated as women fairly and justly.”
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Ayodele Olawande, the minister of youth development, noted that the ministry under his leadership is taking of the interest of young Nigerians, both male and female.
“As the ministry of youth, we are putting them together, putting them in the equation of the ministry, setting a pace for them in sports, and that is what is happening today. That is why collaboration is very important. In entertainment, in tech, and in agriculture,” the minister said.
“Most of those things are what we are looking back to. We don’t want to call it a reform of NYSC because it’s part of the ministry of youth, but we want to call it an inclusion and what we can do to make sure that the platform looks viable. And they are here today also, and in a couple of weeks, a lot of things are going to be happening.
“We want the female youths to feel the government, we want them to see the government, we want them to touch the government. So, we are bringing the government to them. “
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See pictures from the event below.
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