Tinubu, on Monday, conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger on the Super Falcons and their technical crew

By Opeyemi Ajayi

Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the President’s award of $100,000 each to the Super Falcons players.

KoikiMedia reports that Tinubu, on Monday, conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger on the Super Falcons and their technical crew.

He also allocated three-bedroom apartments at the Renewed Hope Estate in Abuja to each of the players and the technical team, alongside a cash reward of the naira equivalent of $100,000 each for the 24 players and $50,000 for each of the 11-man crew.

The announcement of the cash rewards has sparked mixed reactions.

While some Nigerians hailed it as a motivation for athletes representing the country, others questioned the decision, citing the economic hardship in the country and the inability of many states to pay the N70,000 minimum wage.

Defending the gesture, Onanuga compared the reward to the N150m grand prize of reality show Big Brother Naija, arguing that Nigerians should appreciate the President’s decision.

In a post on X, he wrote, “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. President Tinubu has rewarded excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry, and the undying Nigerian spirit.”

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