The Presidency has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent cash and national honours awarded to the Super Falcons, following mixed reactions across social and mainstream media platforms.
Responding to critics, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the President merely did what any grateful nation would do to honour excellence and patriotism.
In a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, @aonanuga1956, Onanuga stated that President Tinubu’s gesture celebrated “excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry and the undying Nigerian spirit.”
“When you remember that Multichoice, the organiser of the BBNaija reality show, is offering the winner ₦150 million grand prize, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons,” he wrote.
On Monday, President Tinubu announced a cash reward of the naira equivalent of $100,000 (about ₦153 million) to each player and $50,000 (₦75.6 million) to each member of the coaching crew, bringing the total expenditure to ₦4.5 billion.
In addition to the financial reward, each team member received the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and a three-bedroom apartment in the Renewed Hope Housing Estate.
The gesture followed the Falcons’ dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over hosts Morocco in the final of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), securing their record-extending 10th continental title.
While many Nigerians praised the President’s gesture as a significant boost for women’s sports and national morale, others questioned the timing and scale of the rewards amid ongoing economic hardship.
Onanuga, however, maintained that the reward reflected the Tinubu administration’s values of meritocracy and national pride.
“The President’s action is symbolic of his administration’s commitment to recognising and encouraging excellence. It also sends a clear message to Nigerian youths that hard work and national service will not go unnoticed,” he said.
