Man Criticises President Tinubu for Rewarding Each Super Falcons Player $100,000: “It’s Too Much”
- Each Super Falcons player received $100,000 from President Bola Tinubu after winning Nigeria’s record 10th WAFCON title
- A Nigerian man argued the reward was too extravagant, suggesting funds could have supported other sectors
- Music stars Flavour, Teni, and Tmi Dakolo serenaded the Nigerian female football team and staff during their reception at the presidential villa.
President Bola Tinubu has come under fire from some Nigerians for his generous cash reward to members of the victorious Super Falcons team after claiming a tenth Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria defied all odds as they staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 on Saturday to extend their record number of WAFCON tournament wins.
Source: Twitter
The team returned to Nigeria the day after, to a rousing reception, and were hosted at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, where national honours were conferred upon them.
According to Premium Times, President Tinubu bestowed national honours of Order of the Niger, OON, on the victorious Super Falcons, and also announced allocations of three-bedroom apartments and cash prizes of $100,000 (approximately NGN153m) to each of the players.
The national team coaches and technical team were also awarded $50,000 (approximately NGN75.6 million) each in cash awards by the presidency for their hard work in winning Nigeria’s 10th WAFCON title.
Super Falcons receive more money
President Tinubu’s $100,000 cash prize was not the only monetary reward received by the Super Falcons players upon their return to Nigeria.
According to the Vanguard, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) also announced a cash donation of N10 million each to players of the victorious Super Falcons as the country celebrated its latest heroes.
Music stars Flavour, Teni, and Tmi Dakolo also serenaded the Nigerian players and staff during their reception at the presidential villa.
Man criticises Tinubu for huge cash donation
Meanwhile, a Nigerian man, Lola Okunrin, has criticised President Tinubu for his $100,000 cash prize reward to members of the Super Falcons squad after their reception in Abuja.
Source: Twitter
Lola, in a post on X, noted that the cash reward was too much for each player, as there are other sectors in the country that money could have been channelled to.
“Let’s tell ourselves the truth. $100k is too much for each player. A whole 160m Naira?
“Give them the flat, OON and $15k each.
“Nigerian Police were protesting for their pensions the other day. Soldiers were complaining about their food, and we are doing this? Wasteful spending.”
Other Nigerians react to $100k reward
Lola isn’t the only Nigerian feeling that the cash prize given to the Super Falcons was excessive, as others also threw in their thoughts concerning the cash reward.
In a chat with Legit.ng, Nigerian football expert Toritseju Williams expressed his disagreement with President Tinubu’s $100,000 reward to each Super Falcons player, calling it “excessive and unbalanced.”
“While it's important to celebrate our champions, the scale of the reward raises concerns about sustainability and fairness, especially when many grassroots teams and local infrastructures are struggling.
These gestures look good on paper but fail to address the systemic issues plaguing Nigerian sports development,” he said.
@KuponuJ posted:
“My problem is how is he going to maintain this sort of payment for every national team that wins gold, or does it end with the Falcons?
“I don't think any country has paid that much to their players for winning Gold medal.”
@Logiebo1 also shared his thoughts:
“It's not like we're even rich, just living on borrowed funds.”
@_dhejy believed other sectors deserved recognition also:
“The girls deserve recognition, but so do our soldiers, doctors, and teachers that are not properly paid.”
Oshoala reacts after receiving $100,000
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Asisat Oshoala has led the Super Falcons stars in reacting to the gifts and national honour conferred on the team by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The triumphant Falcons were hosted to a banquet at Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Monday, where the president announced gifts and national honours.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
