Nigerian Olympic medalist charges little girl to dream big and become champion

Nigerian Olympic medalist and coach, ambassador. Christy Opara,[MON] she charged girls to stand tall, know their worth, and protect their right to education to be future champions.

Speaking at an empowerment program to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child in Abuja on Thursday, Opara said the initiative aims to end child marriage and safeguard the right of every girl to learn, grow and thrive.

“We are here for one fundamental reason: to end child marriage and protect every girl’s right to learn, grow and thrive,” she said in front of guests, leaders, teachers, parents and students.

Drawing on her experience as an Olympian and exercise physiologist, Opara compared a girl’s life journey to the pace of an athlete on the track, the SOHO24 Foundation founder said.

“Every champion’s journey starts from the ground. It starts from your foundation. When a great runner steps onto the track, before he moves an inch, he plants his feet firmly on the ground. Head held high. Eyes fixed on the finish line. When your foot is strong, a sudden push can’t knock you down,” he said.

She warned against social pressure pushing girls into early marriage and adult responsibilities, stressing that early marriage steals education and shortens dreams.

“To our parents, teachers and leaders: Protecting our girls means giving them time, safety and tuition, not wedding dates. When you keep a girl in school, you strengthen the entire community,” Opara said.

She gave the girls three pieces of advice: know their worth, develop their skills through education, and protect their pace by not allowing anyone to drag them into adulthood before their time.

Also speaking, National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) National President Edna Azura described the program as timely, saying girls need education, protection, awareness and skills to avoid exploitation.

“It’s so timely and welcoming because because of the evil vices that are happening, our little girls need to know how to take care of themselves, where to go and what to do. They need protection, they need awareness, they need to learn skills that can hold them so that they don’t seek help from any other person and such individuals take advantage of them,” Azura said.

She said the impact was evident in the girls’ participation during discussions, stressing that they now know their rights and how to seek help.

“As she grows up, she knows that she has total control over her body and that she has freedom of speech. She knows that when someone wants to do something funny to her, it’s not right and that she can run to someone for help and that education is key,” she added, praising the SOHO24 Foundation for the initiative.

There was a new match between SOHO24 Foundation and NCWS which the latter won 6-0.