Nigeria Football Federation Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme has challenged the Falconets to go all the way and win the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after their commanding 3-0 victory over England sent them into the quarter-finals in Poland.

Ikpeme hailed the result as a major achievement for Nigerian football but made it clear that reaching the last eight should not represent the end of the ambition for Moses Aduku’s side.

“This win is a great feat by the Falconets,” Ikpeme said after Thursday’s Round of 16 triumph.

“We are delighted at the dominant performance and we will continue to encourage and motivate the girls until they go all the way to clinch the trophy.”

His comments came after the Falconets produced arguably their biggest performance of the tournament to eliminate England and preserve Nigeria’s hopes of winning the U-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time.

Nigeria took control of the knockout encounter early, with Tosin Rafiu opening the scoring in the eighth minute.

England were presented with a major opportunity to equalise in the 36th minute, but Rachel Maltby failed to convert from the penalty spot, allowing the Falconets to carry their advantage into half-time.

Nigeria then struck almost immediately after the restart.

Janet Akekoromowei doubled the advantage in the 47th minute, putting England under enormous pressure before Mercy Mamudu added the third in the 73rd minute to effectively settle the contest.

The 3-0 victory was particularly impressive given England enjoyed more possession, but Nigeria were considerably more clinical in the decisive areas.

It also continued an extraordinary turnaround for the Falconets.

Aduku’s team collected only one point from their opening two Group F matches after losing 2-0 to Spain and drawing 0-0 with China PR.

With their tournament survival on the line, Nigeria responded by demolishing New Caledonia 10-1 in their final group fixture, the country’s biggest-ever victory at the competition, to qualify for the Round of 16.

They have now followed that 10-goal performance with three unanswered goals against England, meaning the Falconets have scored 13 goals without conceding across their last two matches.

Nigeria also entered the England encounter carrying the continent’s remaining hopes after becoming Africa’s last surviving representative in the tournament.

For Ikpeme, however, the journey should extend considerably further.

Nigeria have come agonisingly close to becoming world champions at this level before, reaching the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final in 2010 and 2014 but finishing runners-up on both occasions.

The NFF acting general secretary now wants the current generation to take the additional steps required to finally bring the trophy home.

Head coach Aduku is equally looking ahead rather than dwelling on the England victory.

Following the match, he expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance before immediately turning attention towards the quarter-finals.

“I am happy they did that. We will go back to Łódź and aim for victory against either Poland or Colombia on Sunday,” Aduku said.

Nigeria will therefore return to Łódź knowing another victory will put them into the semi-finals and move them closer to the ultimate target Ikpeme has now publicly set.

The Falconets have already survived a difficult group stage, produced a record 10-goal victory and eliminated England without conceding.

But the message coming from the NFF is that none of those achievements should represent the finishing line.

For Ikpeme, the target has moved beyond reaching another round: keep winning, go all the way — and return from Poland as world champions.

The Federal Government has begun processes to clear the backlog of Export Expansion Grant (EEG) payments and reform the scheme for sustainability.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said this at a stakeholders engagement on the EEG scheme in Abuja on Thursday.

Mrs Oduwole said the scheme had faced difficulties, with payments outstanding since 2020, leaving the current administration with significant payment backlogs.

She said the backlog required validation and verification of claims submitted by exporters, involving several government agencies.

According to her, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other relevant agencies are involved in the process.

The minister said the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment anchored the EEG as an export promotion tool under the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).

She said the government was pursuing two pathways: clearing outstanding payments and restructuring the scheme to make it sustainable.

The minister said the reforms aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the goal of building a one trillion dollar economy.

She said the agenda prioritised economic diversification and non-oil exports as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity.

Mrs Oduwole said Nigerian non-oil exporters had recorded growth in both volume and value over the past two years.

She said the government would continue to incentivise exporters sustainably because the sector could create jobs and expand the global market for Nigerian products.

The minister said the government had also been working to improve market access through trade agreements, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She said payments already approved in May 2023 would be transmitted to the 10th National Assembly for consideration and approval.

Mrs Oduwole explained that the National Assembly would carry out its duties legislative before the Federal Government could issue the necessary instruments for payment.

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“President Tinubu has also approved earmarking 40 per cent of the NEST Fund toward a trade facilitation fund.
“The independently managed fund will provide a sustainable pathway for settling EEG obligations and supporting trade facilitation.
“Once the National Assembly approves the payments, government can issue promissory notes through the Debt Management Office to clear the backlog.
“The government will thereafter establish a reformed framework for export expansion incentives,” she said.

According to Mrs Oduwole, the current EEG structure is unsustainable because it is too expensive and has no closing date.
She said the reformed scheme would discourage the export of raw materials and place greater emphasis on value-added and finished products.

The minister said the scheme would also support emerging businesses and target sectors requiring assistance to improve their export competitiveness.

Mrs Oduwole said the government had engaged stakeholders, including the NEPC and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Group, to develop a sustainable way forward for the scheme.

(NAN)