INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: MINISTER SEEKS SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS
In order to promote Nigerian girls and women in sports, Sunday Dare, the minister of youth and sports, has urged stakeholders and communities to create opportunities for them.
In honour of International Women’s Day(IWD), Dare said this during the annual women’s football competition hosted by the FAME Foundation.
Every year on March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD), which honours the social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women. The day serves as a rallying point for advancing women’s equality.
This yearās theme āDigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,ā explores the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities. It also spotlights the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.
Dare contends that empowering women and girls is a good way to enhance all individuals, groups, and nations.
He said āThe women have moved up the ladder in different endeavours, more so, when it comes to sports. Thereās no longer glass ceiling, especially in sports. We went to the Olympics and the two people that won our medals are both females Ese Brume and Blessing Oborodudu.
āThe narrative has since changed and I think they are getting better shares, better opportunities, the doors are opening for them, we just need our women and girls to walk through that door.
āThe best we can do as a community, society and as men is to open the door for our girls and women and they need to walk through because they are equipped to do what they need to do.ā
The Executive Director of the FAME Foundation, Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello, also called on the incoming administration to ensure gender equity and equality, especially in the sports sector.
āThe incoming administration should ensure that there is equity and equality. We have been demanding for equality for so long, especially on welfare in the sports sector in Nigeria
āAs of today, female athletes donāt get the support their male counterparts get and this is what the incoming administration and the person who is coming on board as the Youth and Sports minister should look at. They should ensure that there is equity, equality and the welfare of female athletes is topnotch,ā she said.
She noted that the foundation believes sports is one of the tools for unity, innovation and development.
āWeāve been doing this for the past five years is to celebrate women, talk to them about issues related to sexual and domestic violence, and empower them in terms of leadership. We have other side activities like HIV screening, pap test, among others,ā she added.
While commending the foundation, the sports minister urged other non-governmental organisations to champion the course of women to promote unity and development.