Women Must Invest In Women’s Football – Paul Edeh Tells Nigerian Women At SWAN Diamond Jubilee
As conversations around gender inclusion in sports deepen, Chairman of the Benue State Football Association and President of Ratels Sports Development Foundation (RSDF), Barrister Paul Edeh, has thrown a challenge to Nigerian women: invest in the women’s game if true equality is to be achieved.
Speaking at the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Diamond Jubilee Public Lecture, Edeh said gender advocacy in sports would remain incomplete without women’s active financial participation and ownership.
“We cannot continue to advocate for gender equality in sports if women themselves are not willing to invest in the system,” he said.
“At present, every privately owned club in the women’s league belongs to a man. That must change. We need more women to own, manage, and sponsor clubs and competitions.”
The founder of Naija Ratels, who has reportedly invested over ₦2 billion in women’s football, said his motivation is not commercial gain but the transformation of lives.
“The real reward is seeing young girls who once had no hope now building careers in sports. When you educate and empower a woman, you empower a nation, and that applies to sports as well,” Edeh noted.
He commended SWAN for using its 60th anniversary to celebrate unsung contributors to sports development, describing the association as “the conscience of Nigerian sports.”
“SWAN plays the same role Jesus played when he noticed the widow’s mite it amplifies the value others might overlook,” he added.
Edeh’s remarks echoed through the hall as a clarion call for women to not only play or report the game but to own it, shaping the future of Nigerian sports from within.
Follow Savinews Africa channel on WhatsApp: [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VawgaEL5vKA9Y5XTFg0n]
