Ikono LGA Launches Women’s Team, Sends Coaches for Overseas Training

In a bold move, the Chairman of Ikono Local Government Area, Hon Otobong Okon Essien, has established the first ever female football team in Ikono, a groundbreaking initiative for Akwa Ibom State. She is also sponsoring four emerging coaches from the council to attend the 2025 International Coaching Course in Uyo.

The three day programme began on Monday, 28 July 2025, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. It is led by US‑based trainer Seth Norton and former Bendel Insurance head coach Monday Odigie, focusing on modern coaching methods, youth development and sport’s role in community transformation. Essien was on site to support the Ikono representatives and underscore her commitment to building coaching capacity.

This initiative has drawn praise for promoting inclusion, gender equality and youth engagement through sport. Observers describe Hon Essien as a visionary leader investing in both sports infrastructure and social development. Projects like these are positioning Ikono LGA as a model of progressive local governance and sports empowerment in Nigeria.

Editorial

We warmly welcome Hon Otobong Essien’s pioneering initiative in Ikono LGA. By forming a female football team and investing in coach development, we firmly believe she is addressing longstanding gaps in grassroots sport and gender representation.

This effort demonstrates that real change starts at the local level. Female participation in football has often been overlooked at grassroots, yet here is a council boss placing it front and centre. By sponsoring coaches for international training, she is also ensuring that expertise and modern techniques flow back into the community an essential move for sustainable development.

We see great value in combining infrastructure with human development. While establishing the team offers immediate opportunity, upgrading coaching standards ensures long-term progress. Young female players now have role models, hope and tangible support ingredients vital for building a sports culture that includes everyone.

We admire this kind of integrated strategy where capacity building, visibility, and inclusion come together. It raises the bar not just for Ikono but for other local governments to follow. Their success should inspire similar actions nationwide.

Through this bold leadership and forward-thinking investment, Ikono LGA is laying a strong foundation for women’s football and catalysing social transformation in the process. This bold beginning is exactly the kind of change we believe should be replicated across Nigeria.

Did You Know?

1. The International Coaching Course in Uyo is often held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, one of Nigeria’s premier sports venues.
2. Seth Norton, one of the trainers, is a respected US‑based coach known for youth development and modern grassroots methodologies.
3. Prior to Essien’s initiative, Akwa Ibom had no documented female football teams at local government level, making this truly historic.
4. The Confederation of Nigerian Coaches Association emphasises coaching education as a priority for grassroots growth across the country.
5. Grassroots women’s football programmes in states like Oyo and Ebonyi are increasingly common, though Ikono’s approach is unique in combining team formation with coach sponsorship.