To commemorate the International Women Day months, stakeholders have called for gender equality in Nigeria’s sports sector.
They made the call at the one day Women and Sports Dialogue 2023 with the theme: ‘developing a viable commercial and impactful blueprint for women’s football development’ organized by Fame Foundation, a non- governmental organisation.
The event held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja during the weekend was designed to chart a new cause for the women’s game and athletes.
The former director-general of the defunct National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Al-Hassan Yakmut, urged critical steps toward establishing gender equality in the sports industry.
To achieve the target, he said: “We must concentrate on gaining more media attention, securing sponsorship, and extensive interaction with fans. The fan base can be expanded by increasing women’s football profitability and giving players greater opportunities as well as highlighting their talents.
“It is crucial that we keep working to give women in sports an even playing field and give them the same chances and recognition as their male counterparts.
“The case of the Nigerian Women Football League and development would require reorganisation, repackaging, and constructive marketing management, as well as a qualitative club management system with full government and start-up capital under the youth empowerment programme,” Yakmut said
Speaking earlier, the executive director, FAME foundation, Mrs Aderonke Ogunleye – Bello, said: “what we are doing here today is charting a new cause for the women’s game and athletes.
“We bring all relevant stakeholders in the Nigerian sports ecosystem to share experiences and discuss how women’s sports can be better and also how sports can be used as combined powerful tools to push the gender equality and equity narrative to the benefits of the women’s game and the athletes,” she said.
While commending the MacArthur foundation, Australian High Commission and the Nigerian Football Federation, Bello expressed hope that: “I hope women’s game will be repositioned and better equipped with the needed knowledge that will take the women’s game to the next level.”
