By Obike Ukoh

Rewarding athletes after triumphant outings is an unofficially institutionalized part of Nigerian culture. What the reward should be, however, is not codified.

When the Super Eagles, led by the late Christian Chukwu, won the African Cup of Nations in 1980, the players were given a house each and conferred national honours.

States also reward their athletes, especially after the National Sports Festival (popularly called the Nigerian Olympics).

Governors usually announce cash rewards and scholarships, as many students participate in the festival.

 The rewards, both at the federal and state levels, are usually Surprise Packages, as the President or Governors, as the case may be, keep the rewards on their chests.

The gestures are usually applauded, as it is not mandatory to do so.

But the recent reward to the victorious Super Falcons by President Bola Tinubu was greeted with mixed reactions. People did not condemn the National Honour conferred on the athletes, nor the 3-bedroom flat given to each of them.

There is already a precedent on that. The outrage was the $100,000 promised to each of the players.

Going by the current exchange rate of the naira to a dollar, that translates to about N150 million given to an athlete just for playing in a tournament. The reward was said to be the highest in the 27-year history of the team when they first won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.

Incidentally, the time of the naira bazaar coincided when retirees were on rampage, to protest about their meagre entitlements and inability to make ends meet.

Retired police officers, retired army officers and retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme were all lamenting economic hardship when the President announced a N150million gift to each of the players in the victorious team.

 A newspaper editorial captured people’s mode about the reward, which unarguably, is well deserved.

The editorial is titled: “Falcons: Reward doctors, ASUU, teachers also.

 The newspaper accused the Federal Government of unwittingly instigating another round of dissonance, stressing that while athletes deserved celebration, their achievements should not be prioritised above critical national needs such as saving lives, educating the youths, or safeguarding national security.

The paper noted that the same gesture was extended to the D’Tigress, while the total cost of the reward was put at N5 billion.

“While Nigerians take utmost pride in the Super Falcons and D’Tigress, this sentimental display of executive generosity underscores a fundamental dysfunction of the Nigerian state: a reward system devoid of structure, equity, or long-term vision.

“Doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers hold Nigeria’s fragile systems together. They are not seeking luxury; they are begging for dignity.

“Their skills, tenacity and resilience deserve national recognition and a measure of reward.

“Nigeria rewards spectacle, and neglects substance. National recognition is not the exclusive preserve of entertainers and sports figures, no matter how exceptional their achievements.

“A system where reward is arbitrary, emotionally driven, and utterly divorced from public policy is not sustainable,’’ the paper stressed.

According to the paper, there should be a structured process. The Ministry of Sports should disburse the rewards pre-agreed before a tournament, not at the whim of the executive, stressing that the $100,000 per player is excessive, in a country where the minimum wage is $46.

The victories of the lecturers, nurses, doctors, among other professionals, “ may not draw stadium cheers’’ but they are no less heroic, the paper emphasized.

  On its part, the Senator Nenadi Usman-led Labour Party frowned at the dollarization of the reward.

The party described the president’s action as “utterly shameful” and unpatriotic.

Mr Ken Asogwa, the Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the Interim National Chairman of the party, stated that “the nation’s foremost custodian and presumed chief ambassador of the Nigerian naira, chose to reward our gallant Super Falcons in United States dollars.”

 “Watching the President, on national television, announce that the victorious Super Falcons would receive financial rewards ‘equivalent to $100,000’ was not only nauseating but deeply unpatriotic.

“Even if, as some may argue, he meant the naira equivalent, the symbolic elevation of the dollar over our national currency by the Commander-in-Chief is a damning indictment of his administration’s economic mindset.

“This act speaks volumes about the level of disdain and lack of faith this government has in the naira, the very symbol of our economic sovereignty.’’

 As expected, members of the sports community applauded the gesture, adding that the President was in order.

  A former Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Alhassan Yakmut, who spoke, said he was happy to be alive to witness the day.

He advised that the reward for victorious athletes should not stop at the national level, but should be extended to the grassroots, where budding athletes need motivation to develop.

He said: “I am very happy the Super Falcons have been honoured this way. In 1991, I was part of those who named the team Falcons.

“Maryam Babangida wanted a special name for the team ahead of their first international competition against Cameroon. I was part of the team then alongside Sibiat Abiola.

“I am happy that I’m alive to witness the national team I helped nurture being the champions for the 10th time. And it is unique for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he was a close confidant of the late pillar of sports, Chief MKO Abiola.

“I am also very happy with the honour. This should go down to the state and local levels, where the governments at these levels honour athletes representing them. This will end the restive nature of our teeming youths.”

On his own part, the Chairman of the FCT FA, Alhaji Adam Mouktar Mohammed, said what President Tinubu did was historic, saying it would engender more patriotism in Nigerian athletes.

He commended the Super Falcons for delivering on the promise they made to the entire nation before the 2024 WAFCON in Morocco.

“The Super Falcons pledged and delivered the 10th WAFCON in style against the host country in a dramatic fashion.

“Then back home, the President and Commander-in-Chief made history with the biggest cash prize ever as a reward for the joy, happiness and positive image they brought to the nation.

“This is also a clear signal that the president takes sports seriously and is even ready to reward sporting success in a rewarding and motivating fashion.

“This is gratifying because the girls deserve everything they received from the president,” he said.

A former Super Eagles player, Garba Lawal, who commented, said: “The girls deserve it. No one initially gave them a chance, but now, they are African champions.

“The gesture from the government is heartwarming and it is a clear message to our athletes, not just football alone, that they should strive to do their best and they will be honoured.

“The Super Eagles didn’t win AFCON but were honoured, but with this, I believe the boys will want to do better in their future competitions.”

Lawal’s former teammate, Mutiu Adepoju, said the presidential gesture would motivate the Super Eagles to turn around their dwindling fortunes and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

“This is good news and a huge morale booster. I think the Super Eagles will see this and will be motivated to do the same, if not more. This will improve women’s football as a whole,” he said.

The position of stakeholders is clear. Nobody is against rewarding glorious athletes. It is an established tradition.

But they are against the overdose reward and complete neglect of people working in critical areas like the health sector, security, education, among others, in the uncoordinated reward system. As suggested, it is imperative to standardize the system to pre-determine the reward so that it will not be at the whims of anybody.

By Tony Nezianya

Ànnaba (Algeria), July 27, 2025 — Engr Habu Ahmed Gumel, the president of the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC), has appealed to the Nigerian athletes competing in the maiden Africa Schools Games in Algeria to quickly adapt to the food on offer by Algeria, the host country.

This is the maiden Africa Schools competition being organised by ANOCA, the African Olympic Committee.

Continental dishes are on offer. The organisers, the Association of the National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), have approved the dishes as the best universal meal.

”I know you crave Garry, Amala and various rich soups – Mea Kwuka. Ogbono, Egusi, Afang and Onugbu soups. All these details are not here. Let’s all improvise,” Gumel, the lone Nigerian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said during his visit to the athletes at the Games Village located within the University El Boni, Ànnaba, Algeria.

He added, “If other countries have accepted these meals, we should adopt them. We are now international athletes, no longer local athletes. We should accept our new status as internationals.

“I want to assure you that, in preparing for international events of this nature, we must incorporate continental cuisine in our camping diet so that we do not feel lost when we encounter shock when we are exposed to such meals.

“A few athletes have been skipping meals because they did not contain the dishes they are used to in Nigeria.”

The Psychologist, Dr. Robinson Okosun, echoed similar sentiments about the athletes in his daily interactions and coaching of athletes.

“We have to eat to stay strong, not to lose weight. We must ensure balance at all times. The enzymes in our bodies must act on something,” said Dr Okosun, referring to Nigeria’s team for the Tokyo Olympics.

“Eating will help us to stem illness.

“Our opponents can capitalise on our weakness to wreck our team spirit,” Okosun said.

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) on Wednesday in Abuja responded to a letter of petition received from some special athletes.

The 108scoop reports that the special athletes were protesting the exclusion of their sports from the upcoming National Sports Festival (NSF).

The athletes who carried placards in protests in Lagos promised to “block all federal roads and the National Stadium complex”, if they failed to get a response to their demands.

However, in a response to the petition, Mohammed Manga, Director of Press of the Ministry, noted that the Ministry had always been concerned about special athletes.

Manga, in a statement on Wednesday, outlined some of the efforts by the Ministry to ensure the inclusion of the athletes in its programmes.

“One of them is the setting up of a special department for Para Sports in the Ministry.

“Another is the organisation of the first National Para Games in April 2022 where 16 para sports were competed for by teams from 21 states, as well as some clubs, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

“We have also ensured there was no discrimination in the treatment of athletes, able or special, in terms of welfare, camping conditions, remuneration and other areas in all international competitions,” Manga said.

The Ministry official, who described the protests as unfortunate, advised the athletes to channel their grievances appropriately instead of disturbing public peace.

“The Ministry, hereby, urges and advises  against any further disruption of public peace and calls on anyone with complaints to channel them through the appropriate authorities and seek the path of dialogue.

“Hindering the right of other citizens to free movement is unlawful and unacceptable, especially after the earlier engagements of the Ministry’s liaison officer in Lagos and other well-meaning sports personalities.

“The Ministry further urges the relevant security agencies to handle the situation at hand with care and in accordance with the law,” Manga said.

The 2022 NSF, which is the 21st edition, is scheduled to hold from Nov. 28 to Dec. 10 in Asaba, Delta.

Similarly, the National Council on Sports (NCS) has approved the inclusion of cricket in the forthcoming 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) in Asaba, Delta.

Mohammed Manga, Director of Press of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD), disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

He said this development was part of the resolutions of a virtual meeting held by the council on Wednesday to deliberate on issues surrounding the 2022 NSF.

The meeting, which also had Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development in attendance, approved that para sports will no longer feature in the Games.

“The council approved that the three compulsory para sports in the NSF, namely; Para Athletics,  Para Powerlifting and Para Table Tennis would no longer feature in the Festival.

“The members also approved the inclusion of cricket in the 21st NSF as well as three demonstration sports, which are Netball, Teqball and Mixed Martial Art,” Manga said.

He added that the Council also affirmed Nov. 28 to Dec. 10 as dates for the 2022 NSF.

”It also as well affirmed Nov. 3 to Nov. 5 for inspection of facilities and joint technical meeting for the Festival,” the ministry spokesman said.

Delta won the 20th edition of the Festival in Edo in 2021.