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Aisha Buhari tournament is best gift to the girl –child – Rita Nwadike

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Rita Nwadike, captain of Nigeria’s female national team beats Cameroonian goalkeeper Matilde Nguiadem 06 October 2003 to score the lone goal against the Cameroonian team at the female football event of the 8th All African Games in Lagos. AFP PHOTO PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (Photo by Pius Utomi EKPEI / AFP) (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)

Nigeria legend Rita Nwadike has poured encomiums on the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Aisha Buhari for agreeing to headline the upcoming Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament kicking off in the City of Lagos, Nigeria from September 15 – 21.

Nwadike said the Aisha Buhari Cup with the theme Playing for Good is a most laudable project under the First Lady’s Future Assured Programme (FAP) for the girl-child, women and the less privileged in the society.

“I thank the organisers of the Aisha Buhari Cup who took the bold step to meet with Mr President’s wife over this noble project and the First Lady’s decision to support the bringing of the best women teams in Africa to Nigeria. For the girl-child, it’s the best gift possible and I want to appreciate her for doing this noble project during her tenure.

On the Super Falcons’ squad, Nwadike asserted the players therein are the best and capable of lifting the maiden ABC trophy for the country.

“I’m satisfied with the list, I think that’s the best the new team’s handler can work with at the moment. He is familiar with all the players and has been working with them at various tournaments. He cannot begin now to experiment, not at this invitational tournament that everyone is coming to win.

The Aisha Buhari Foundation focuses on women, young girls as well as vulnerable citizens like widows, orphans and the disabled. The programme involves training for entrepreneurial skills and provision of starter packs, conditional and unconditional cash transfers and provision of business tools. 

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Meanwhile, a girls’ grassroots football team, Infinitus Football Academy, bankrolled by former Nigeria international goalkeeper Rachael Ayegba, has thrown its weight behind the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament. The six-nation showpiece scheduled to be held from September 15 to 21 this month.

With the theme in mind, the young girls of the Lokoja-based Academy declared their solidarity for the competition, which is inaugurated to motivate the girl-child to embrace football and also grow the women’s game on the continent.

Team Coach Timothy Emmanuel harped on the opportunities behind the initiative and the future impact on the girls’ careers.

“We are excited with the positive responses of the girls to the vision and mission of the competition and the possibility of shaping the future of the young girls,” Emmanuel told ABC media.

Responding on behalf of the team, captain Fatimah Ahmed said: “We are happy to know about the Aisha Buhari Cup. We support the idea because we all want our future to be assured through football. We also believe that one day, we will all grow up to have the chance to represent our country and play in the competition or even in a bigger one.”

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Earlier, Ayegba, who spoke from her base in Finland, expressed belief that the Aisha Buhari Cup will not only shape the dream of the girl-child in Nigeria but across the continent.

“I am happy to see how the young girls are feeling about the invitational tournament. It will surely go a long way to inspire them to pursue their career in football.”

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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