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Nkechi Obi poised to chat way forward for NWFL with stakeholders
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Ahead of the inauguration of the newly appointed board, Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), Nkechi Obi has promised to meet with women’s football stakeholders to chat a way forward for the domestic leagues.
The major reason for the stakeholders’ meeting is to fashion out the key problems and work towards solving them as Obi replaced Aisha Falode as NWFL chairperson following the expiration of the latter’s tenure in September 2022.
During her first appearance since her appointment as NWFL helmswoman during the final games of the 2023 NWFL Championship in Ikenne, Ogun state, Obi affirmed that the board would have a meeting to discuss its agenda for women’s football.
“I am a strong believer in stakeholder engagement. The various stakeholders involved in women’s football, I am going to talk to them,” Obi told sports journalists.
“Even those that we don’t know and are not even identified might be the biggest and most supportive stakeholders. We would identify them and engage some of them.
“I am also a strong supporter of sisterhood. Sisterhood is getting women for women which is to support women. Getting those high-network women to see women’s football as a platform to spread the support.
“How many of our high-network women have we brought to make them have an interest in women’s football? I and the board would find a way to engage with high-network women.
“Then we would look at stakeholders and people who have money in places for women’s development. Let’s go and find them and tell them that this women’s development, football can also help.”
Obi will now head the NWFL, with Hajiya Hussaina Suleman as vice chairman. Alhaja Rukayat Lola Alaya, former FIFA referee Hadiza Musa, Mr. Ayodele Thomas, Ms Henrietta Ehiobor and Mr. Danny Nazzal will be members.
“It’s not for me to just say that this or that is what should be expected. That presupposes that I am coming with a set of agenda which won’t be fair on the board,” she continued.
“This is a board of seven highly qualified people. We all come from different experiences. Some of them actually own clubs. The most important thing after the inauguration is to get together at our board meeting and take a holistic look at the league to know where we are and the focus.
“To work towards getting more women to play football and ensure that those who want to play football professionally can do so and at the same time earn a living through it.
“In doing so key into the global agenda for women’s sports. Right now women’s sports and by extension, women’s football is really not where they should be in terms of attention, funding, capacity, and everything.
“What do we do in terms of getting some attention? Getting the attention will lead to getting capacity, funding, and all other benefits accrued to women’s football. The focus for our first couple of board meetings where we would now set the agenda and we will come out to tell the whole world about our agenda.
“We are going to seat and find out what exactly is the problem with the [Nigerian] league. If really takeoff grant is the problem, what is the takeoff grant supposed to solve? I think we should think about solving problems.
“We would start with an interrogation of the situation of the whole system. It may not impact too much on the next season but the most critical thing is that there must be an interrogation of where the league is coming from and heading to. Let’s chart a course.”
