CAF Awards: How Nigeria can sustain dominance of Africa- NFF President 

By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No. 1 Women’s Football Journalist

Still basking in the euphoria of Nigeria’s near clean sweep of major prizes at last week’s 2023 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco especially in the Women’s Category, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has revealed that the football house under his watch has devised ways to maintain Nigeria’s dominance of women’s football in Africa.

Recall Nigeria’s Asisat Lamina Oshoala won the 2023 CAF Player Of The Year (Women), her sixth CAF Awards and two more than her compatriot and ex-Super Falcons striker Perpetua Nkwocha while Chiamaka Cynthia Nnadozie won the first-ever Goalkeeper Of The Year Award (Women’)

and Nigeria’s Super Falcons won National Team Of The Year Award (Women) ahead of South Africa and Morocco respectively.

Speaking exclusively to Prompt News in his office in Abuja on his return from the CAF Awards ceremony in Marrakech where he had the honour of receiving the National Women’s Team Of The Year Award bestowed on Super Falcons of Nigeria, Gusau said that he is optimistic that Nigeria will sustain her dominance of women’s football in Africa because of the solid foundation already laid by successive football administrations.

According to him the present administration has put in place a deliberate policy to ensure that women’s football continues to grow in Nigeria, pointing out that the NFF Executive Committee (EXCO) has since made it mandatory for all the 20 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs to establish a women’s team in accordance with the new vision of development and promotion of the game at every level in Nigeria.

Said he: “The NFF under my watch is women’s football-friendly and I must emphasize that we have resolved to continue to support our women teams in everyway possible. We have instructed each Premier team in Nigeria to have women’s football team and the response has been encouraging.

“Today many of our Premier league clubs in the country have a corresponding women’s football team. They include Remo Stars,  Bendel Insurance, Bayelsa United, Heartland of Owerri, Enyimba International, Abia Warriors and Rivers United among others”.

Speaking further the NFF boss stated that his administration is also encouraging teams from the Northern part of Nigeria to establish women’s football clubs to compliment the men teams, adding that clubs like Nasarawa United and  Adamawa United already have women’s football teams just as Nasarawa United and Kogi United have Nasarawa Amazons and Confluence Queens FC playing in the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL).

He is hopeful that within a short time those Premier league clubs that have not formed women’s team will be able to do so, insisting that it is for the good of the game for the men clubs in Nigeria to have women’s team like their counterparts across the globe.

Gusua also said that the federation is taking academy and grassroots football very serious more than ever before, stressing the need for the stakeholders to collaborate in the development of women’s football at the grassroots level.

The NFF president believes that Nigeria will continue to dominate in women’s football in the continent no matter the strong challenges by other African countries, stating that it will take time for other nations to catch up with Nigeria.

 THE 2023 CAF AWARDS  (WOMEN) WINNERS

Player Of The Year -Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria

Club Of The Year -Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, South Africa

Inter Club Player Of The Year -Fatima Tagnaout (ASFAR), Morocco

Young Player Of The Year- Nesryne El Chad, Morocco

National Team Of The Year — Nigeria

Goalkeeper Of The Year — Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nigeria

Coach Of The Year-Desiree Ellis, South Africa