By 

Harry Awurumibe 

However, the final seal of approval for women’s football to have tap root in Nigeria was given in  1989 when the federal government through the Ministry of Social Development, Youth and Sports approved the request of National Sports Commission (NSC) to include women’s football as one of the events of the National Sports Festival tagged “Eko’89” held in Lagos in December 1989.

Perhaps, it was the quality of football and artistry showcased by the players in the competition especially the high octane final match between Rivers state representatives Larry Angels (now Rivers Angels) and Lagos state XI side at National Stadium Surulere forced the NFA to fully recognise women’s football and took over it administration in the country. 

But that was before it organised the “1st National Women Football Championship” in Lagos which was bankrolled by Princess Hannah Bola Jegede fondly called a moving spirit behind women’s football in NIFFPA. The championship which featured 22 clubs with 11 from Lagos state alone, would no doubt remain the first attempt by NFA to get fully involved in the organisation of women football in Nigeria.

Nevertheless,  it is on record that NFA attitude throughout the national competition from September 15 to 23, 1990 was apparently lukewarm as it adopted a”wait and see” attitude as the Association provided nothing except “Technical Staff” ĺed by its two junior secretaries-Mr. Joshua Banjo who headed the Players Selection Committee and Mr. Debbie Asagba, Competition Coordinator.

By the time the curtains fell on the championship on September 23, 1990, no fewer than 50 players have been selected by the NFA officials and the listed submitted to the secretariat for further action.

It was this 50-woman list which was penciled down during the 1st National Women’s Football Competition in 1990 by the Players Selection Committee which included late Coach Paul Ebiye Hamilton, ex- Super Eagles gaffer and Emmanuel Omiunu, former Julius Berger handler, the Association used to invite the first set of the national senior women’s football team in January 1991 after NFA upon the request of CAF indicated interest to field a team in the 1st FIFA Women’s World Cup African qualifiers in 1991.

Among the 50 scouted players from the competition who went on to become Nigeria and African legends are Super Falcons first-ever captain and later head coach, Florence Omagbemi; ex-goalkeeper and current assistant coach, Ann Agumanu-Chiejine; ex-Super Falcons head coach Eucharia Uche; ex-vice captain, Edith Eluma-Joseph; former midfielder Nkiru Okosieme; ex-Olympics Gold Medallist Chioma Ajunwa-Opara and the Class of 1991Super Falcons players to the 1st FIFA Women’s World Cup final in China. 

But for the spirited efforts of some individuals and corporate organisations, Nigeria would not have participated in the maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991 because the NFA through then Secretary General Momodu Kadiri granted interview to Guardian Express Newspapers reporter (Harry Awurumibe) in Lagos on January 11, 1991, insisting that Nigeria can only participate in the World Cup African qualifiers if sponsors will come to the Association’s help as it has no money to prosecute the home and away qualifying ties against Ghana senior women’s team Black Queens with the first leg slated for February 16, 1991 at National Stadium Surulere. 

It is on record that barely one day after the Guardian Express report of Saturday, January 12, 1991with headline “China’9: No Money No Female Action” was published, some corporate bodies in exercise of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) donated money to the NFA to prosecute the CAF qualifiers.

They include Nigeria’s foremost confectionery company Cadbury Nigeria Plc was the first to the rescue of NFA with a cheque of whopping sum of N250,000.00 on Monday, January 14, 1991 to prepare a team that will represent Nigeria in the first international women’s football match against Ghana. It also donated training kits for the use of the team in camp.

Also, Julius Berger Plc came with its own financial donation to support the NFA while individuals like well-known sports philanthropist and owner of Kakanfo Queens of Abeokuta, Chief (Mrs) Simbiat Abiola (wife of late MKO Abiola) donated the sum of N50,000.00 and then First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs Maryam Babaginda and Princess Jegede both donated an unspecified sum of money for the upkeep of the team in camp.

As the money kept tumbling in, the NFA had no option than to fell on the 50-woman list of players earlier compiled by Banjo Selection Committee during the Princess Jegede-sponsored 1st National Women’s Football Championship in Lagos to invite players to camp to prepare for the crucial match against Ghana which was only weeks away.

Expectedly, 12 days after the Guardian Express Newspapers publication and few days after the list of 28 players was made public, the first set of players including Edith Eluma-Joseph,  Adaku Okoroafor, Onyinyechi Chukwuma, Omolara Fadeji and Ann Agumanu-Chiejine arrived 

Games Village Surulere camp while screening started inside the main bowl of National Stadium Surulere on Thursday,  January 24, 1991 under the watch of a three-man coaching crew of former chief coach of Super Eagles Paul Ebiye Hamilton,  ex-Shooting Stars FC coach Niyi Akande and Lagos State Sports Council coach David Oyamunugha.

Few days after not too good preparations,  the team responded positively by thrashing Ghana Black Queens 5-1 in the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers double-header at National Stadium Surulere on Saturday,  February 16, 1991. Nigeria also beat Ghana 2-1 away in Accra on Saturday,  March 3, 1991 to qualify for the next round on 7-2 aggregate scoreline. 

This is even as Nigeria also eliminated Guinea 7-0 and Cameroon 6-0 aggregate scores respectively in the second and final round of African qualifiers to pick the ticket for the 1st FIFA Women’s World Cup final in China in 1991.

Thus Nigeria’s dominance of the rest of Africa in women’s football started quite early following the solid foundation laid by few patriotic individuals and corporate Nigerians in the years past to prepare the ground for the bountiful harvest of Awards Nigerian players past and present are winning from the continent and outside Africa. 

This leadership role of Nigeria in Africa and the overwhelming evidence of dominance by winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) a record nine times, her players 12 CAF Player Of The Year Awards since 2001 and qualifying for every FIFA Women’s World Cup final since 1991 can rightly be attributed to the  pioneer efforts of visionary women’s football sponsors, philanthropists, promoters and astute administrators as well as the role of few sports journalists like this writer (Harry Awurumibe), Prince Sunny Ebhojaiye, Dapo Sotimunu, Sammie Etuks, Miss Henrietta Ukaigwe (late), Ms Caroline Nwankwo now in UK and US-based Dare Joseph Gbenga Ogunleye as well as Canada-based Tonnie Opara.

These great men and women who sacrificed their time, money and materials deserve not only national awards but CAF Life Achievement Awards for their believe that women’s football can be a source of livelihood for young women especially from poor homes in Africa and across the globe.  

Indeed, it will take many decades before other countries can equal the records set by Nigeria in women’s football in Africa except the NFF fails to do the needful by continuing to develop the domestic league and encourage the development of the game at the grassroots. 

Luckily, NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has already made a pledge to continue to encourage the development of women’s football at all levels including football academy. He is also pledging to enforce the formation of women’s football teams by Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs. By so doing, Nigeria will continue to reign Supreme in Africa.