THE presidency has defended national honours and financial rewards splashed on Nigeria’s Super Falcons by President Bola Tinubu after their victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
At a reception held on Monday, July 28, in Abuja, Tinubu rewarded the team with national awards, cash gifts, and houses, following their thrilling victory at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The president conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all 24 players and 11 technical crew members.
Each player also received a cash prize of the naira equivalent of $100,000, while the technical team members were awarded $50,000 each.
In addition, the president directed the allocation of three-bedroom apartments to all recipients in the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Estate.
The gesture from the president has, however, drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians. While some commended the president’s action, others condemned it.
For instance, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the last general election, Omoyele Sowore, criticised the gift to the Falcons, comparing it with the plight of officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
“Life is brutally unfair to Nigeria Police Force @policeng officers! Super Falcons won WAFCON, trained for one year, played for one month, were rewarded with $100,000 (N150 million) each and houses!
“Police officers protected them for decades, worked 35 years, retired with $1,500 (N2 million as gratuity), no houses, no medicals, and a little pension! The president or the governor who handed the awards? $1 BILLION in gratuity, lifetime pension, homes everywhere, and full medical! #PoliceProtest ,” he posted on X.
Another X user @ISAACJUNIOR9 claimed he thought it was $10 000 until he discovered it was $100,000.
“I won’t even lie, I agree with you Senior Comrade (responding to Sowore’s post). When I heard 100,000USD, I thought it was a mistake & PBAT (President Bola Armed Tinubu) meant 10,000USD. 100,000 USD for a trophy valued at 1 million USD & in the current hardship is outrageous. Like 30,000 should be okay. We love our players but doesn’t look ok at all.”
An X user @AchilleusChud described the president’s action as wasteful.
“Wasteful! And imagine that the president announced the rewards in dollar terms, not naira terms. Sad.”
Similarly, @Ezekwem_Franklin in a tweet on X submitted that the rewards were too much, “I’m not against the gift, but that amount is too much for a country whose citizens are living in abject poverty, infrastructural decay, and insecurity. This wasn’t thoughtful from President Tinubu; it’s not a good way to buy favour.”
However, some users welcomed the president’s gesture for the team.
Reacting to the criticism of the president’s gifts to the Super Falcons in a post shared on his official X account on Tuesday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga fired back at critics, comparing the rewards with the ₦150 million grand prize offered to the winner of the Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) reality show.
“When you remember that Multichoice, the organiser of the BBNaija reality show, is offering the winner a ₦150 million grand prize, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons,” he posted.
According to him, Tinubu rewarded excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry, and the undying Nigerian spirit.
Onanuga’s comparison has sparked mixed reactions on X, with Nigerians debating the Super Falcons’ rewards and the BBNaija analogy.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons claimed their 10th WAFCON title on Saturday, July 26, after a dramatic 3–2 comeback win against hosts Morocco in Rabat.
Esther Okoronkwo sparked the revival with a 64th-minute penalty before Folashade Florence Ijamilusi equalised in the 71st minute. Jennifer Echegini then sealed the dramatic turnaround with a late strike in the 88th minute.
A reporter with the ICIR
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