By Dayo Awoniyi
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, will travel to Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, to cheer Bayelsa Queens if they reach the finals of the ongoing WAFU B CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers, according to the State Commissioner for Sports, Daniel Igali.
Igali made the revelation in the dressing room ahead of the Queens’ second group match against ASKO Ladies of Togo, sparking wild cheers from the “Prosperity Girls.”
Fired up by the Commissioner’s charge, the Nigerian champions swept aside the Togolese side with a commanding 3-0 victory. An early own goal set the tone before Alaba Olabiyi and Moshood completed the rout.
The win, following their opening triumph over Police Ladies of Ghana, leaves Bayelsa Queens with six points from two games and firmly on course for the semifinals, with one group fixture left against Sam Nelly FC of Benin Republic.
“Our sports-loving Governor has been monitoring your progress and is highly impressed with your performance so far,” Igali told the players.
“He has promised to personally be in Côte d’Ivoire to cheer you once you book a final ticket, and I hope you won’t disappoint.”
Igali urged the team to “go all out for victory” and secure not only the WAFU B trophy but also Nigeria’s ticket to the CAF Women’s Champions League proper in Morocco.
Meanwhile, club chairman Robin Apreala boosted morale after the first win by showering the players with dollars and pledged even greater financial rewards should they emerge champions.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
