By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Dec. 4, 2023 (NAN) Some stakeholders have harped on the need to use sports as a veritable tool to create awareness of the menace of Gender-Based violence (GBV).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was the focus of the discourse at the grand finale of the sports competition
organised by De Voice Life Builders Foundation in partnership with the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund on Saturday in Abuja.
The football competition, which was basically for young girls, had five female teams drawn from satellite towns in the FCT.
The five teams that participated in the football competition include Gwako FC of Gwagwalada Area Council, Great Babes FC of Kuje, Almond Babes FC of KuchigoroGNFA, Queens FC of DutseJesus-Pikin FC of Lugbe.
Some stakeholders told NAN, on the sidelines of the event, that the campaign against GBV cannot be overemphasised, especially violence against women, with specific attention to the girl-child.
According to them, using sports to sensitise the society to the menace of GBV is a welcome development and an effective way to raise awareness about the menace.
The Chairman of De Voice Life Builder Foundation, Adewale Samson, said the exercise, promoted through sports competitions, underscored the foundation’s efforts to raise the people’s consciousness to the menace of gender violence.
“As a foundation, we are campaigning against GBV due to the increasing number of such cases in the FCT.
“We are focusing on the trenches in the FCT, such as Kuchigoro and the likes, because these are the areas where such cases are prevalent.
“We penetrate these places by paying courtesy visits to their traditional rulers to sensitise them and also to create awareness about GBV by organising a football match.
“We also use the opportunity to have interactions with the indigenes and let them see reasons why they must not be involved in GBV.
“This is why, today, you can see all the girls here from five communities participating in this football tournament,” Samson said.
Itunuoluwa Abolarinwa, Programme Manager of the foundation, said it was imperative to use female sports icons for the campaign.
According to him, this will help to counter certain unfounded beliefs about women’s involvement in sports-related activities.
“The major takeaway from this event is to show that the girl-child is very important in our society and must not let anyone look down on her.
“For instance, if you take a look at recent happenings in society today, you will notice that the women are taking the lead in major sectors of the economy and making a lot of remarkable achievements.
“So we are saying to the girls here that, if people like Ngozi Okonji-Iweala, Joke Silva, Blessing Okagbare and the likes can make an impact in their various fields of endeavour, they too can achieve even much more,” Abolarinwa said.
Blessing Joshua, the Captain of Generation Next FC team, said she was grateful for the opportunity offered her to showcase her football talent.
According to her, grassroot programmes such as this will go a long way in changing people’s perceptions about involvement of women in sporting activities.
“Playing football, for me, is a passion and I love the game.
“But oftentimes, our parents deny us the opportunity to play, saying that females are not supposed to play football; they believe that it is a man’s game.
“However, watching players like Asisat Oshoala and Rasheedat Ajibade playing for the country and their clubs gives me the extra motivation not to give up on my dreams,” Abolarinwa said.
Saminu Dogo, an official of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), applauded the organisers for their efforts in projecting the place of the girl-child in society.
He described it as a welcome development, one that the government ought to key into.
“It is indeed a very impressive and creative event geared towards amplifying the rights of women and girls in society.
“For me, it is an initiative that can even achieve more than it intends to because I have seen great talents on the football pitch today.
“These girls are the future Oshoalas and Ajibades and I can tell that they will have a bright and great career in the sport.
“So, what De Voice Life Builders Foundation is doing is quite impressive and should be encouraged.
