Nigerian women face high barriers on the home front to pursue a career in coaching but the few who brave the odds find little encouragement.
In her active days as an athlete specialising in 100 metres sprint, Endurance Ojokolo-Akpeki won eight gold medals for Nigeria at continental and inter-continental level, and competed at six editions of the World Athletics Championships, amongst many other competitions. However, one achievement which she greatly desired but which did not materialise was making the final of the 100 metres event at the Olympics.
Nine of the 14 medals Nigeria won in Athletics were secured by women, highlighting the pivotal role female athletes have played in uplifting the image of the country over the years. So, providing an enabling environment for women to thrive ought to be paramount in the Federation’s decision-making process.
As one of the top sports in Nigeria, the AFN presents national teams for several international competitions every year, ranging from continental outings such as the African Senior Championships, African U-20 Championships, African Games, to global events like the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and World Athletics Championships. In recent years, invitation to any of these international competitions has been the major reward system for athletics coaches in Nigeria.
Ojokolo-Akpeki and her athlete, Usheoritse Itsekiri at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. [Photo Credit: Usheoritse Itsekiri] Lawal has coached since 2002 and currently trains Kayinsola Ajayi, a two-time gold medallist at the 2023 African U-20 Championships held in Zambia back in April, amongst other athletes. In fact, the selection of her athlete for that competition earned Lawal an invitation to the team that travelled to Zambia – her first call-up for an international competition. There were six coaches in attendance, with Lawal and Osakwe the two women in the team.
For former national champion in the heptathlon, Itanyi-Williams, navigating the coaching terrain whilst birthing kids is quite a tricky business. The 1999 African Games silver medallist said: “I used to coach at West Virginia University, but when I got married and became pregnant, I realised that I couldn’t coach anymore, because I did not want to take my child to a daycare centre. I chose not to take my daughter there, but what I did was to start private coaching, which I scheduled around home.
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