The adage, “What a man can do, a woman can do even better,” often stirs debate, especially among those who view it as an overgeneralization. Yet, the achievements of women who push beyond societal expectations and break barriers serve as powerful counterarguments. One such trailblazer is Hajiya Hussaina Suleiman Nagogo, whose name has become synonymous with progress in Nigerian women’s football.
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Her relentless drive and exceptional leadership are not only reshaping the sports landscape in Nigeria but also inspiring a new generation of female leaders across the continent.
Months ago, at the Nigeria Football Federation’s Secretariat in Abuja, Hajiya Hussaina Suleiman Nagogo, alongside six others, was appointed and inaugurated by the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation to constitute the Board of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).
She is to serve as Vice Chairman for a tenure of two years. The NWFL Board is at par with the Board of the men’s Nigeria Premier Football League, both spearheading the elite domestic football leagues in Nigeria.
Before her appointment, the maverick Hajiya Hussaina was the Secretary-General of the NWFL Club Owners’ Association.
In 2020, she was confirmed as the substantive Chairperson of Nasarawa Amazons Football Club by Governor Abdullahi A. Sule of Nasarawa State, after serving in an acting capacity following the death of the former occupant, HRH Audu Nuhu (Gom Mama of Mama Chiefdom, Wamba LGA), the previous year.
Before the creation of Nasarawa State from the old Plateau State in 1996 by then Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Hussaina played professional basketball for Plateau State and also featured prominently for Nigeria’s Women’s Basketball Team.
After retiring from the sport, she delved into women’s football and was one of the founding members of what is now called Nasarawa Amazons Football Club, formerly known as ‘Solid Babes.’ Hussaina served in different capacities at the Club’s Management, including as Team Manager, before succeeding the late Chairman, HRH Audu Nuhu.
Since its establishment in 2003, Nasarawa Amazons FC have won all notable trophies available in women’s club football in Nigeria.
The Club has also emerged runners-up, both in the League and Federation Cup competitions, at various times. Owing to its administration, players and coaching staff from the Club are prominent across various National Teams, including the Super Falcons, Falconets, and Flamingos.
During these periods of success, Hajiya Hussaina Suleiman Nagogo was hugely pivotal and remains so up until today.
She is not only a voice but an administrator in deeds, as a vast majority of the players in the Super Falcons’ squad who participated in the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris, France, passed through Nasarawa Amazons FC or have been tutored by the Club’s coaching staff.
In an industry that regularly focuses on and is led by men, Hajiya Hussaina has persevered, broken barriers, and defied the odds to shine in leadership. Her contributions are not just about uplifting young women to become successful athletes but also about diversifying the faces of leadership in sports for the industry’s total advancement.
Her approaches and diverse thoughts have continued to offer help to those in the industry, irrespective of whether it’s male-dominated or not, enabling stakeholders to find success.
Hajiya Hussaina is an inspiration to her colleagues, sports stakeholders, the younger generation, and society as a whole. She proves to other women that they can aspire to be anything in life, even in a male-led space.
By implication of her position as Vice Chairman of the Board of the NWFL, the retired Nasarawa State Civil Servant can attend meetings of the Board of the Nigeria Football Federation, the pinnacle of football administration in Nigeria, in the absence of her principal, the Chairman of the NWFL Board.
As a sporty woman, Hajiya Hussaina possesses qualities uncommon in most women leaders. She has the motivation and energy to work hard to achieve success, confidence to dare the unthinkable, and resilience to go the extra mile to get the job done, no matter the obstacles.
She is a team player, transparent, disciplined, self-motivated, and possesses a competitive nature and drive to win, with awareness that success emanates from hard work, focus, and unwavering trust in God.
Her powerful breakthroughs in football administration are correcting the stark imbalance in women’s leadership in the sports industry in Nigeria, as she uses her extensive leadership experience to impart her wealth of knowledge on sports, particularly football, both in today’s leadership and in the future.
With this astronomical and steady rise, there’s no mincing words that Hajiya Hussaina Suleiman Nagogo is on the path to attaining global influence in women’s football administration. Nasarawa State, Northern Nigeria, and Nigeria as a whole could not be more proud of her achievements and personality in the sports corridor!
