Public Affairs Officer of the United States Consulate General, Joseph Kruzich, has restated the commitment of the American government toward an initiative that will drive gender equality in Nigeria.

Kruzich revealed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during the graduation ceremony of 50 beneficiaries of the ‘Break the Bias, She Can’ initiative on Tuesday in Lagos.

The event was organized by Additional Plus Sports and Education Initiative (APSE) in partnership with Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC).

According to NAN’s report ‘Break the Bias, She Can’, is an initiative of the Management of APSE in partnership with LSSC, to provide a one-year sports and political empowerment programme to empower some outstanding girl children.

It was gathered that the graduation ceremony was held at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos.

The programme was designed as education in sport and political education with a major focus on taekwondo, table tennis and sensitisation.

At the graduation ceremony of the 50 beneficiaries, the US envoy in Nigeria, Kruzich noted that the drive toward gender equality was one of the American dreams.

“Gender equality is one of the core values of the Americans and I believe it is one of the core values of the Nigerian government as well.

“As both countries now have strong democracies, we are committed to working together with Nigeria to do more in the area of gender equality, economic development and good governance,” he reiterated.

Kruzich also stated that the American government was excited to partner with the ‘Break the Barrier’ Initiative, adding that it is the right change that Nigeria needed.

“The US government is excited to be part of this programme, especially because of the ambition of the initiator of this programme, Dr Oluwaseun Nariwoh.

The initiator of APSE, Dr Oluwaseun Nariwoh, said that the programme was designed to identify some gaps in the development of athletes, which included combining sports with education.

“We need to prepare these young ones well ahead of the future challenges, and this is what we have been able to achieve,” she said.