• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, has commended FAME Foundation for its sustained efforts in promoting the rights and empowerment of women and girls through football. The minister gave the commendation during the 9th edition of the foundation's International Women's Day football tournament, where she performed the ceremonial kickoff. Speaking at the event, Suleiman-Ibrahim described Nigerian women as "phenomenal," highlighting their achievements in sports and their contributions to national pride. She noted that Nigerian female athletes have continued to bring glory to the country through remarkable performances on the international stage. "I congratulate FAME Foundation on this 9th edition of the International Women's Day football tournament. Nigerian women are phenomenal -- they are energetic, intelligent and resilient. We must continue to engage them across different sectors," she said. The minister cited the achievements of the national women's football team, the Nigeria women's national football team, and the national women's basketball team, the Nigeria women's national basketball team, noting their recent successes in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations and the Women's Afrobasket tournaments. She reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to creating more opportunities for women, particularly in sports and the digital economy, as pathways to leadership and national development. Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Rinsola Abiola, praised the foundation for using sports as a platform to celebrate and empower women during the International Women's Day activities. Abiola urged other non-governmental organisations to emulate the initiative, stressing that women's empowerment should extend beyond sports to include education, financial inclusion and supportive government policies. "Beyond sports, women's empowerment should also be driven through education, access to finance, gender-responsive budgeting, and targeted grants and loan schemes designed to support women entrepreneurs," she said. Earlier in her remarks, the Executive Director of FAME Foundation, Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, explained that football was deliberately chosen as a tool for advocacy because of its ability to unite Nigerians across ethnic, religious and regional divides. According to her, sports remain one of the few platforms capable of fostering national unity and strengthening bonds among women from diverse backgrounds. "Nigeria is a heterogeneous country, but sports unite us. Whenever any of our national teams are playing, nobody cares about religion, tribe or ethnicity. That is why we chose football as a tool to promote unity and sisterhood among women," Atoyebi said. She added that the tournament brought together women from different social classes, regions and ethnic groups, using sports as a vehicle to drive social change, strengthen solidarity among women and promote national unity. Source: https://independent.ng/women-affairs-minister-lauds-fame-foundation-for-using-football-to-promote-womens-empowerment/