President Bola Tinubu and Super Falcon players pose with the WAFCON trophy
PRESIDENT BOLA Tinubu on Monday conferred national honours on Nigeria’s Super Falcons, winners of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), and announced a package of cash rewards and housing for the team.
Each player will receive the Order of the Niger (OON) national honour, a fully furnished three-bedroom apartment, and a cash prize of $100,000 (about ₦153 million).
The 11-member technical crew will each receive $50,000 (₦75.6 million) in recognition of their role in the team’s historic triumph.
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) also pledged a separate ₦10 million cash reward for each player.
President Tinubu hosted the team and coaching staff at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, days after their dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Morocco in Rabat, securing Nigeria’s 10th WAFCON title.
Addressing the champions, Tinubu praised their achievement as a landmark moment in Nigerian sports history.
“Today, you return home as champions of Africa. We could not be prouder. This is the 10th time Nigeria has been crowned WAFCON champions, and your victory reflects courage, discipline, determination, and consistency,” he said.
Sharing a lighter moment, Tinubu admitted he initially avoided watching the final to escape tension.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to watch because I didn’t want high blood pressure. When it was 2-0, I was restless, but your resilience lifted my spirit and that of the nation. Even my wife left the kitchen, running back and forth, shouting, ‘we have won!’ until the final whistle,” he joked.
The Super Falcons’ latest triumph cements their dominance in African women’s football and marks a new era of government-backed recognition and reward for their achievements.