Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesperson, has defended the financial incentives and national honors that President Bola Tinubu awarded to Nigeria’s Super Falcons after their triumph in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Onanuga responded to critics who said the prizes were either too high or too little in a message posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday.
He made an analogy to the ₦150 million grand prize given to the Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) reality show winner.
“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 X.
“President Tinubu has rewarded excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry, and the undying Nigerian spirit”
Hours after Tinubu visited the winning squad at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Onanuga made his remarks.
Every player and member of the coaching staff received the national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) at the ceremony. Tinubu also declared a monetary incentive of $100,000 naira for each participant and $50,000 naira for each technical crew member. Additionally, he pledged that every team member will receive a three-bedroom residence in the Federal Capital Territory’s Renewed Hope Housing Estate.
Many Nigerians shared their thoughts on the propriety of the gesture and the similarity when Onanuga compared the Super Falcons’ awards to BBNaija’s prize money, sparking a flurry of conflicting opinions on X.
One user, @officiaEdoOsasB said “Epa, Multi choice is a private business. I appreciate the president rewarding the girls; but when will such gestures be extended to the educational sector?
@ansem_edet said “BBN is a business, Nigeria isn’t. Where did we get the money to dash out like that? Don’t you all swear that our country has no money?
Some people, however, applauded the president’s overture to the group.
@adamawaLas79385 wrote, “I salute his reward system many thanks for the reward, sir. We love football nothing can be too big for our hardworking players.
