By Aderonke Ojo
The Soho24 Foundation is set to use a novelty football match against the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) to raise awareness on the empowerment of the girl-child through sports, education and skills acquisition.
The match, scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Soho24 Foundation Sports Park, Abuja, is part of activities to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event is expected to empower more than 400 girls through sports, education, mentorship and a two-week skills acquisition programme.
Christy Opara, Founder of the foundation and Nigerian Olympic medallist, said at a briefing with newsmen in Abuja that the Oct. 8 date was deliberately chosen to encourage participation ahead of the official observance on Oct. 11.
Opara said sports was not only a form of recreation but also an important tool for developing discipline, confidence, leadership, teamwork and resilience among young people.
She said sports provided girls with opportunities to participate, compete, discover their abilities and build confidence.
“A girl child deserves the opportunity to grow, learn, be protected, discover her talents, access sports, healthy development, mentorship and deserves to dream,” she said.
According to her, the initiative is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 5 and 10, which focus on quality education, gender equality and reduced inequalities.
She said the novelty match would demonstrate the role of sports in promoting teamwork, unity, inclusion and empowerment of girls and young people.
Opara said the foundation’s team would be coached by Grace Opara, its skills acquisition director.
She added that the foundation had been expanding its outreach through sports clinics and youth empowerment initiatives in Abuja.
Opara said more than 400 girls, particularly Senior Secondary School One (SS1) students from Kado-Kuchi Senior Secondary School, Mabushi Senior Secondary School and the Kado-Kuchi-Jahi Community in the FCT, were expected to participate.
She said the programme, themed “Empowerment of the Girl-Child Through Sports Development, Education and Performance”, would also promote women’s participation in sports.
She noted that the United Nations theme for the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child was “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights.”
Opara said the two-week skills acquisition programme preceding the main event would expose participating girls to various vocational skills.
Louis Udeh, Media Head of the foundation, said the girls would receive training in painting, catering, tailoring and hair braiding.
He said products produced during the training would be displayed at an exhibition as part of the programme.
Udeh added that lecturers and medical professionals would educate the girls on health, personal safety, body awareness and general wellbeing.
Opara said that although the Oct. 8 programme focused on the girl-child, the foundation’s wider programmes catered to both boys and girls.
“Currently, the foundation houses, feeds and trains more than 40 boys daily in football and sports performance, drawn from different parts of the country without discrimination, with over 15 already securing opportunities outside the country,” she said.
She identified funding as a major challenge, particularly when athletes required support for travel, healthcare and accommodation to take up international opportunities.
Opara appealed to individuals, corporate organisations and government institutions to support the foundation in reaching more talented and vulnerable young people.
She also expressed concern over school dropouts, the rising cost of education, poverty, discrimination and early child marriage, urging parents not to remain silent.
She called on government, schools, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to create an environment where girls were protected, educated and empowered.
“When we invest in a girl’s education, we invest in knowledge; when we invest in her talent, we invest in possibility.
“When we invest in her confidence, we invest in leadership,” she said.
Opara announced the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and NCWS as new institutional partners of the foundation.
She also appreciated the Defence Headquarters and Nigeria Immigration Service for supporting the foundation’s maiden edition of the programme in 2025.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Emmanuel Afonne