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In a stirring display of resilience and determination, the Super Falcons captured the hearts of Nigerians when they overturned a 2-0 deficit to clinch a dramatic 3-2 victory over hosts, Morocco, at the just concluded 2024 WAFCON. Their performance was more than just a football triumph—it was a testament to the unyielding Nigerian spirit. Recognizing this extraordinary feat, President Bola Tinubu hosted and honoured the team for ‘their courage, discipline and patriotic zeal’. Aside the accolades, the players and officials were given unprecedented financial gifts, houses as well as National Honours. The Presidential gesture has since ignited conversations all over with discerning commentators applauding the courageous action of President Tinubu. MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN and TUNDE LIADI write..
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hosted the victorious Super Falcons at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday following their historic triumph at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, it wasn’t just a moment of celebration but affirmation of a long-standing Nigerian tradition of recognizing, honouring and rewarding its sporting heroes.
But this time, President Tinubu simply took the gesture further beyond the realms of the uninitiated in living up to the oft mantra that ‘ the labour of our heroes should never be in vain’ following the announcement of $100,000 USD and $50,000 USD in Naira equivalents respectively to each of the players and officials aside bestowing on them National Honour of Order of the Niger (OON) as well as three bedroom flats each.
In so doing, President Tinubu in his own characteristic manner simply upped the ante which is a marked departure from the past when sporting heroes were honoured with ‘tokens’ as it were.
Nigerian leaders have, at pivotal moments, turned victories in sport into moments of national pride and unity: From President Shehu Shagari’s gifts to the 1980 Green Eagles that won the country’s first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in front of the home fans in Lagos; to General Sani Abacha’s grand gesture to the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games’ soccer heroes and medallists; to President Goodluck Jonathan’s generous commendations in 2013 for the victorious Super Eagles that won the AFCON in South Africa and President Tinubu’s new reward gestures.
For the younger readers, the reward culture for sports heroes arguably took definitive shape under President Shehu Shagari. When Nigeria lifted the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time on home soil in 1980, the Green Eagles were treated like royalty.
One of the team’s stars, Sylvanus ‘Quick Silver’ Okpala, recalled in an interview with Vanguard: “It was quite amazing for a secondary school leaver to own a Peugeot 504 car, a house and a national honour, (MON), plus other gifts from individuals and corporate bodies.
According to Okpala, that was a clear signal that Nigeria was ready to treat her athletes as national treasures, adding most Nigerians felt then it was an act of profligacy by showering on the 1980 AFCON-winning squad such ‘gigantic gifts’ as a time many were struggling to eat three square meals.
He continued: “The sky was our limit then. We worked so hard to win the tournament. All that was on our minds was how to win the trophy, nothing less. Thankfully, we eventually won.
“I wouldn’t say they didn’t do enough if you checked how many people were driving 504 GR with air-conditioning as at that time. How many people in Nigeria had national honours and how many people owned houses?
“I think they appreciated what we achieved. No one can say it was not good enough. But I think as Oliver Twist, human beings will always ask for more.
“I was not expecting anything near what we eventually got. Maybe I was expecting something like N500 each. I did not think of a car.
“If you ask me, no group of those who have been playing and winning laurels for Nigeria, before and after us have been so lucky to get what we were given by the Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Dr Alex Ekwueme administration.
“That was the highest gift that has ever been given to footballers,” he added.
In the 1980s, the national U-16 that won the maiden FIFA U-16 Kodak Cup at China 1985 were feted as heroes as the then Military government of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari ‘ordered’ that streets should be named after each of the players in their respective states and were also offered shares at the Nigerian Capital Market among others incentives .
Between then and now , a lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge of Nigeria’s sporting landscape as the Federal Government from time to time, honoured deserving teams as it deemed fit.
Abacha’s landmark gifts of the 1990s
Fast forward to the 1990s when General Sani Abacha held sway as the Head of State when the Super Eagles won the country’s second AFCON title in 1994 and were handed national Honours as cash gifts. But the 1996 national U-23 soccer team otherwise known as the Dream Team, that made history as the first African team to win Olympic football gold that got bigger pies.
Like the Super Falcons’ unique 10th WAFCON title, the Dream Team’s ‘Gold-rious’ performance in Atalanta was a defining moment for the country. Victory came at a time Nigeria was even considered a pariah nation due to human right abuses and political instability. No wonder a jubilant President Abacha-led government gave each player: ₦1.5 million as cash gifts plus houses and also awarded Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) national honour. While the winning contingent also received plots of land and various gifts from corporate Nigeria.
For Garba Lawal, a member of the historic Atlanta 1996 gold medallists, it would be wrong for anybody to cry over President Tinubu’s gesture to the Super Falcons, adding that what they got in 1996 should never be equated to what the 10th WAFCON winners got.
Read Also: WAFCON 2024: MTN hosts Super Falcons in Lagos, gifts team N150m
“There is a big difference,” Garba said in his usual frankness. “At that time, we enjoyed ourselves.”
Yet President Jonathan in 2013 took a big step forward as he opened the nation’s vaults after Stephen Keshi led the Super Eagles to victory at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.
In what was considered then an ‘unprecedented gesture’ President Jonathan at a glamorous dinner in Abuja gave each player: ₦5 million; A plot of land in Abuja plus MON as National Honours while coach Keshi got ₦10 million as cash gift plus CON in national honour and a plot of land
Philanthropists followed suit, with Mike Adenuga gifting $1 million to the team and $200,000 to Keshi, and others like Tony Elumelu and Emeka Offor contributing $500,000 each.
The Jonathan era also coincided with Nigeria’s victorious outing at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when the coach Manu Garba-led Golden Eaglets won the country’s fourth title at that level. They were also feted and awarded National Honours with token cash gifts considering it was an age-grade competition.
In 2015, the Golden Eaglets were only given a token by President Buhari at a ceremony he recalled the victorious 1985 winning-team and handed them a cash gift of two million naira each ‘ to write the wrong of the past’ as they were not adequately compensated for being the first to win the global cadet competition for the country.
Renewed Hope for Nigeria’s Sports
But with President Tinubu, it is a new dawn and unarguably’ he has surpassed his predecessors in rewarding Nigerian sporting heroes starting with the Super Eagles who came home with silver medal at the delayed 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
They were equally showered with cash gifts, house gifts, landed properties in Abuja plus national honours.
But he simply raised the bar with the ‘extremely lucky’ Super Falcons that delivered the country’s 10th WAFCON title.
Reappointed Golden Eaglets head coach, Manu Garba, said that the Super Falcons deserved every bit of the gifts given to them and he praised President Tinubu for the gesture.
“I think the Super Falcons deserves all the rewards they got on a night we were 2-0 down and the way they fought back with the typical patriotism and never give up spirit of Nigerians and silenced the vociferous Moroccan fans to win the WAFCON a record ten times. Above all they made every Nigerian happy that day,” said Garba, a proud recipient of two national honours for helping Nigeria to win two FIFA U-17 World Cups “In the year 2007 when we won the FIFA U17 World Cup in South Korea, we were lucky to get national honours, Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) and (Member of the Order of Niger (MON) for the players) with three bedrooms flat each at Prince and Princess Estates in Abuja.”
But he further highlighted past neglect of youth champions with the exception of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea in 2007 where he opined the team was rewarded.
“But the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup champions in the UAE that scored 25 goals and conceded only 4 were not fortunate to get such rewards and even when we won the AFCON U20 Trophy in Senegal 2015 we are yet to be hosted.
“The team got nothing not even pure water to celebrate winning the Gold Medal in Senegal 2015,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga drew comparisons between President Tinubu and the on-going reality Television show, Big Brother Naija, where the last winner got a star prize of N150 million Naira, writing:“When you remember that Multichoice, the organiser of BBNaija, is offering the winner ₦150 million, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons.”
Indeed, many observers see Tinubu’s gesture as a strong political and cultural statement.
Stella Mbachu, a legend of the Super Falcons, lauded the gesture: “In our days we never received such big money, but President Tinubu has come to change the narrative. This gesture will make others wake up.”
Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, praised Tinubu even further, saying: “Mr. President has taken the bull by the horn to abolish the era when the nation’s sports heroes laboured in vain.”
Not all responses were uncritical with Activist Omoyele Sowore raising concern about disparities in the country’s reward systems which he said was not in tandem with the present economic realities.
“Super Falcons trained for a year, played for one month, was rewarded with $100,000 and houses. Police officers work 35 years, retire with $1,500. No houses. No medicals,” he said.
Be that as it may, respected football administrator and erstwhile Vice-President of NFF, Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam, said President Tinubu deserves more kudos than knocks for taking the bull by the horns by handsomely rewarding the Super Falcons for their historic WAFCON title.
“Frankly, I want to commend President for this laudable initiative for rewarding the Super Falcons very well,” Uchegbulam, the no-nonsense former Vice president of CAF Board of Appeals, told NationSports.
“ But let me first and foremost commend him for his appointment of both Mallam Shehu Dikko and Honourable Bukola Olapade into the National Sports Commission(NSC) and I want to believe they gave him that recommendation which he has generously approved.
“ Don’t forget there was a time the Super Falcons won this same trophy and they went ceased the trophy (and refused to come back home) until their allowances were paid and at that time, somebody was the Minister for Sports and somebody was the President as well as somebody in NFF and this was the incident that coast Desire Oparanozie her captainship of the Super Falcons.
“ We have forgotten that happened in the past that a team won the same trophy and were never rewarded.
“ This time, President Tinubu has done well but the President must take a step further that all these promises to the Super Falcons and the Players are fulfilled in a record time.
“ He must ensure that it’s done and should not be like the case of the past Super Eagles that won the AFCON whose house gifts were delayed for a very long time.
“ We should not forget that the Super Falcons still have the Olympics and World Cup tournaments ahead of them, we should not do anything to demoralize their dreams of conquering the world as their captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, said.”
Uchegbulam in his usual manner of demanding equity, would further make case some of the past Nigerian soccer heroines: “ I only have pity for the girls that won the same WAFCON from 1st to 9th but were not so rewarded as the current team by President Tinubu. Those ones were just unlucky while these set were lucky to have won the 10th title and have been adequately rewarded.
“ But we cannot forget players like Florence Omagbemi, Mercy Akide-Udoh, Perpetual Akide and others who were pacesetters; these are Trojans who needed to be recognised ,” he affirmed.
Yet Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, one of the drivers behind the hugely successful maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), has called on President Tinubu to address the issue of sports development in all its ramifications.
“It gladdens my heart that without being political the President rewarded the girls because what they did was heroic. He rewarded them beyond anybody could have suggested and the President always keeps his promises,” Ikpokpo told NationSports. “Though I believe that the reward (for the Super Falcons) was too much, it shows the forcefulness of how they (the government) view sports which is commendable.
“Sports must be seen as important as road constructions or even more important than it. At the level of every sector of the Nigerian economy sports is dealing with humans.
“Imagine if you provide the facilities at all various forms of the government to transform the athletes into money making machines. We seem to have a knee jerk approach. Maybe USD 10,000 or USD 20,000 would have been fair especially in a country we have the challenges bedevilling us today.
“I think injecting a lot of money into sports will help to transform it. Athletics which I feel is at par with football is not giving its right of place. I think money should be injected into athletics.
“ MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja nobody goes there. We need to start bringing activities into the stadium as well as other states too. I don’t have a problem with their reward system. The girls did the magic and lifted us up with the victory.
“The honour done on the Super Falcons has given us a reason to reflect on the state of sports in Nigeria. There must be plans for the next generation”
Ikpokpo who recently mounted the rostrum as chairman of Delta State Athletics further canvassed for inclusiveness in managing of all sporting federation.
He continued: “Football seems to be the king of sports but if athletics is well managed, it can’t beat athletics anywhere. But because we do not have a system that’s properly planned and rewarding.
“ good enough , we a new board in the AFN and the leadership of the NSC is also new but we hope all of us can put our thoughts together and have a plan and work with it.”
“We have a lot of talents and this is why the NDCC sponsoring the Niger Delta Sports Festival is very instructive and in the nearest future, we would see that Team Nigeria would be dominated by athletes from that part of the country,” Ikpokpo posited.
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