has congratulated Nigeria’s Under-17 Women’s National Football Team, the Flamingos, following their impressive 4-1 victory over New Zealand in the opening match of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

In a statement released after the match on Wednesday night, John Enoh applauded the team for their remarkable performance, highlighting both their skill on the pitch and their ability to showcase Nigeria’s potential in women’s football.

He noted, “The Flamingos have made Nigeria proud with this fantastic victory. Their exceptional play not only reflects the immense talent of our young female athletes but also shines a light on what they can achieve when allowed to excel.”

The minister took a moment to commend the dedicated efforts of the coaching staff and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their significant contributions to the development of women’s football in Nigeria.

“This victory is a testament to the hard work and unwavering dedication of everyone involved in the team’s preparation,” John Enoh stated. “We must continue supporting and investing in women’s sports, thereby fostering growth, success, and the necessary infrastructure for female athletes to thrive.”

As the tournament progresses, Enoh has urged all Nigerians to unite in support of the Flamingos, stressing the importance of collective encouragement and national pride. “Let us come together as a nation to rally behind our girls as they pursue victory and represent Nigeria on the global stage,” he emphasized.

The Flamingos made an electrifying start, taking the lead just two minutes into the match at the CFC Stadium in Santiago De Los Caballeros, and swiftly extended their advantage to 3-0 within the first half-hour. They are expected to continue on this path on Saturday when they take on Ecuador.

Seven teams have already sealed their passage into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Naija News reports that the race for the upcoming prestigious tournament is getting more intense as the qualifying matches unfold.

Matchdays Three and Four have featured thrilling contests, with teams from 12 groups competing vigorously for the opportunity to showcase their talents on the continental stage.

The seven teams that have confirmed their participation in the tournament include Senegal, DR Congo, Algeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Egypt, and Angola.

The final two rounds of qualifiers are scheduled for next month, with additional teams aiming to join those already qualified.

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is set to commence on 21 December of next year, culminating in a grand finale on 18 January 2026.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has explained why the 2025 AFCON qualifying match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Libya won’t occur as scheduled.

Naija News understands that the match was originally scheduled to take place in Libya at 8 p.m on Tuesday following the first leg, which saw the Super Eagles triumph over the Mediterranean Knights with a narrow 1-0 victory at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo last Friday.

The return leg was mired in controversy, primarily due to the harrowing experience faced by the Super Eagles players and officials, who reported being stranded at the Libya airport for over 14 hours.

The ordeal ultimately led to their decision to return home rather than participate in the scheduled match.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, CAF said the case between the two nations will be referred to the competent CAF bodies.

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has cautioned the judiciary against making pronouncements that can be detrimental to the nation’s democracy.

Jonathan, who spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the 67th birthday celebration of Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said he is disturbed by the judgements emanating from various courts on political matters in the country recently.

The former Nigerian leader specifically lamented the decision of the Supreme Court that a ward chairman of a political party could suspend the National Chairman of the party.

According to him, the apex court ruling is responsible for the current crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and had also caused problems for the All Progressives Congress (APC) previously.

Jonathan argued that such court pronouncements could be likened to turning a cone upside down, which increases its propensity to fall.

“When a cone is turned upside down, it cannot stand because any little thing that touches it will fall,” Jonathan submitted, noting that such judgements were capable of destabilising the democratic dispensation in the country.

According to him, empowering Ward Chairmen of political parties to suspend their National Chairmen is against the natural course of justice as it is empowering a subordinate to remove his/her superior from office.

“You cannot tell me that the head of a department can expel the vice chancellor.

“Since that judgement was given, it has created all forms of instability. The PDP is in crisis today because of that judgement. The APC also faced the same problem at a time.

“Look at how other nations work; I have never seen where the sub-unit disciplines the principal.

“I am therefore pleading with the Supreme Court to review that judgement because it had turned the cone upside down,” ex-President Jonathan added.

He made the observations shortly after he was brought to the podium by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was originally named the Chairman of the occasion, but however, while proceeding to the podium to make his remarks, took Jonathan along with him, and announced him as the co-chairman of the event.