It was doubtful if any Nigerian felt more overwhelmed by the outcome of the final game of the 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations than President Bola Tinubu. He had initially opted not to watch the encounter on television for what he explained as his choice to avoid hypertension, due to the pressure attached to the match between host nation Morocco and Nigeria. As fate would have it, he was forced to stay glued to the television by some members of his household.
At half time, the Super Falcons were two goals down and the president, in his own words, had become angrier and restless, the weight of an expectant nation firmly resting on his shoulders as defeat loomed for the Falcons. But relief soon came for Mr. President when Esther Okoronkwo halved the deficit in the 64th minute and then went on to create two more goals to save Tinubu from the agony of watching the game go into a nervy extra time or penalty shootout. A joyful president could not contain his emotion at the blast of the final whistle that secured Nigeria’s tenth win of the WAFCON title. Little wonder he immediately placed a call to the Falcons as the team celebrated the big win. “The nation is proud of you and you will be celebrated. I look forward to receiving you,” he told the team in a broadcast video chat.
Tinubu fulfilled his promise by hosting the team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on arrival on Monday. He also celebrated them like no leader before him had done. He conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all the 24 players and the eleven technical officials. He also directed the allocation of a three-bedroom apartment to each of the players and the technical crew members in the federal government’s Renewed Hope Estate in Abuja. He rained cash on them too, approving a cash award of the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each of the 24 players, $120, 000 on the Head Coach, Justine Madugu, and $50,000 on each member of the technical crew.
Few Nigerians would have reckoned that Tinubu’s effusion owed more to the development of the girl child than anything else. But he rubbed it in: “You have inspired millions, especially young girls who now see proof that their dreams are valid and achievable. It is great for a nation to have assets that are the hope of today, tomorrow and the day after. You represent that hope. You ignited that hope and we will continue to encourage you, the next generation and other generations after you.”
Beyond the Falcons’ 3-2 triumph over the Lionesses before their vociferous home fans at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on July 26 was the bigger story that the Nigerian team represented: the triumph of courage, determination, discipline and consistency. All this puts no question mark on the largesse that was accorded the team by a grateful nation.
The president peeped into the future of women football in Nigeria, saying: “This administration will continue to invest further in women’s football and youth talent development across the country.”
First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, who also played host to the victorious team, weighed in: “You played with passion, confidence, and an unshakeable belief in yourselves, that it is not over until it is over. The zeal you displayed on the pitch was nothing short of inspirational. You never wavered and reminded the world why Nigeria remains a powerhouse in African women’s football. Next is to win the World Cup and this is not about me being overly ambitious, it is a dream I see being fulfilled soon.”
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who attended the reception, barely waited for Tinubu to announce the Federal Government’s windfall when he also announced a donation of N10 million to each of the players and technical team members on behalf of the 36 state governors. More rewards followed from corporate bodies and individuals and this gesture looked likely to continue in the weeks to come – more for the Falcons’ Mission X accomplished but much more for a football team that has won more honours for Nigeria and eminently deserve the most accolades.
In solidarity, six members of the Super Eagles – captain William Troost-Ekong, Olaoluwa Aina, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Leon Balogun and Joseph Ayodele-Aribo – also donated N1 million each to the 24 Falcons players.
Reactions have since trailed the presidential largesse bestowed on the Falcons from a cross section of Nigeria. While some contended that it would inspire other athletes to exert their best to win honours, others pilloried the president’s decision to reward the players with what they described as wasteful spending amidst the inability of most states to pay the N70,000 minimum wage, even as many Nigerians are grappling with multifarious socio-economic challenges.
While criticisms of the windfall could well be in order, they are however also misplaced – especially considering the Falcons’ past exploits in the WAFCON that had gone far less rewarded. The Super Eagles have won the African title only thrice (in 1980, 1994 and 2013) in comparison to the Falcons’ ten titles. But each time that the Eagles triumphed, they were rewarded generously. Even on the six occasions that they emerged as runners-up, the rewards did not cease. A good case was the last Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Cote d’Ivoire that saw the host nation concede an early goal in the final game but still defeated Nigeria 2-1. The team was hosted by Tinubu, whereupon he gifted them national honours, as well as plots of land and houses in Abuja. Within the same period under review, the male Under-17 team had won titles and got rewarded lavishly, particularly in 2007 and 2013 when the players got houses in Abuja and some have streets named after them in their various states.
In acute contrary, the Falcons’ nine previous wins beginning from the maiden edition in 1991, in addition to the triumphs at 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, attracted very little or no reward and certainly none of the winners has had a house or plot of land donated to her nor a street named after her. At best, all they got for these unassailable successes were failed promises. In particular, the 2006 win, achieved in South Africa during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo, took an unprecedented turn by any team that won a trophy for Nigeria on foreign. A pay row between the players and officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had threatened to derail the country’s dream during the competition. But although the players soldiered on patriotically, they had refused to board the plane for home after the final day, vowing that they would only do so if their entitlements were settled. It took diplomatic moves by the Nigeria High Commission in South Africa to get the players to board the plane. Even on their arrival in Lagos, a shabby treatment still awaited them at the airport where a rickety articulated vehicle was provided for the players to go on victory parade around Lagos. In the end, they were neither hosted by Obasanjo nor accorded their due honour.
President Tinubu appeared to study the deprivation that the Falcons had endured over the years, despite their successes on the pitch, before deciding to break a new ground in compensating the team so hugely. This is the point that the critics missed sorely and it would not be too late to look at how the Falcons have evolved from 1991 till 2025, and particularly how they promised to deliver the latest trophy to Nigeria and still delivered it in a remarkable way, to get a clearer picture.
The NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, captured the mood perfectly at the Presidential Villa where the Falcons were hosted after their Moroccan triumph: “With this pronouncement by Mr. President, the girl child will now see that she can achieve greatness by doing sport and indeed any other noble profession or vocation.”
Star woman
Twenty-year-old Esther Okoronkwo, who plies her trade at AFC Toronto in Canada, made her Super Falcons debut on June 10, 2021 as a 43rd minute substitution in a 1-0 friendly loss to Jamaica.
On February 23, 2022, she scored her first goal against Cote d-Ivoire in a 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier through a pass from Michelle Alozie, giving Nigeria the lone goal that ensured the country’s qualification with a 3-0 aggregate scoreline.
She was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. She also made the Nigerian team to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
But her star shone most brightly at the 2024 WAFCON where she emerged as the “tie breaker”. In the quarterfinal, she scored once and created two assists in the 5-0 win over Zambia. She would also repeat her splendid performance in the final match against Morocco, steering the team away from the jaws of defeat by scoring one goal and providing two vital assists to secure cup victory for Nigeria.
At 28, she still has a lot to offer the Falcons in the years ahead. Who knows? She might be on her way to a bigger club with a bigger pay cheque after her awesome performance in Morocco.
Published on August 2, 2025
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