The First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, has called on the International Federation of Association Football, Confederation of African Football and the Nigeria Football Federation to ‘show more support and encouragement to female players both at local and international levels.
This is as she urged Nigerian girls to embrace football as a career path.
Buhari said this on Thursday while receiving the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino at the State House, Abuja.
The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the First Lady, Aliyu Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘Aisha Buhari charges girls to embrace football’.
According to her, the benefits of football spreads across the coaches, officials, and administrators on the one side, and to family members and the society on the other.
She said, “With football, we have an opportunity to influence and increase positive attitude towards gender equality and development. I collaborated with the NFF to promote women football in Nigeria and worldwide through the Aisha Buhari Football Tournament, to build on the gains achieved so far and to create additional opportunities for the girl-child.
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“I, therefore, call on FIFA, CAF, and NFF to show more support and encouragement to female players both at local and international levels.”
She commended the FIFA President for his support of women’s football and his participation at the event.
Earlier, Infantino commended the First Lady for the leadership role she is playing on the issue of women empowerment, saying that her energy is unrivalled. He commended the sense of organization in the tournament and expressed his belief that it will achieve its stated objectives.
The FIFA boss further expressed strong conviction that the Aisha Buhari tournament will serve as a shining example of women empowerment worthy of emulation around the world, stating that it will also ‘unite the world a little bit more.’
The FIFA President was accompanied by the President of Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, the President of Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick and other officials of FIFA, CAF, and NFF.
The meeting was also attended by the wife of the Vice President of Nigeria, Dolapo Osinbajo, Honorable Minister of Women Affairs, and that of Sports and Youth Development, Pauline Tallen and Sunday Dare, respectively.
