By MARTINS OLOJA,FNGE

Nigeria’s Super Falcons were on Monday this week hosted to a grand state reception at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in celebration of their historic victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The elated president lavished praises, national honours, and significant rewards on the team for clinching a record-extending 10th continental title, which came via a dramatic 3–2 comeback win over hosts Morocco in Rabat.

During a grand reception at the State House, Abuja, President Tinubu hailed the team’s fighting spirit and the inspiration they gave to the nation.

“The indomitable spirit of resilience, determination, and courage you displayed lifted the spirit of the entire nation,” Tinubu said.

 “After that penalty, when I saw 2-1, my spirit was lifted, and I believe that of the nation was lifted too. You have inspired millions, especially young girls, who now see proof that their dreams are valid and achievable.”

The 24 players and 11 technical crew of the Super Falcons were rewarded with a cash prize of N4.602 billion ($100,000 and $50,000) each as well as the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The players and officials were also given the sum of N350m by the Nigerian Governors Forum, which took their cash reward to N4.952bn, a data analysis has shown. 

The president concluded his address with heartfelt admiration for the team’s triumph, saying,

 “Once again, I congratulate you, and I will continue to pray for you. My spirit is unyielding and will never die. God bless you”.

We are told that the celebration highlighted the federal government’s commitment to rewarding sporting excellence and promoting the development of women’s football in Nigeria.

Super Falcons’ super dollars
Doubtless, the president’s $100,000 reward to each Super Falcons player for winning the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is seen by the presidency as a monumental gesture that can have a profound impact on the development of soccer spirit and enthusiasm in Nigeria, similar to what we’ve seen in most North African countries such as Morocco. But is that the whole truth?

The stark contrast
The Super Falcons received $100,000 each, while: Doctors earn between N200,000 and N250,000 monthly, which is roughly $128-USD 160; Teachers earn as low as N45,000 monthly, which is approximately USD 29; Most police operatives/officers earn between N51,000 and N75,000 monthly, which is roughly $33-USD 48 

And so the total reward amount could pay the monthly salaries of 16,000 doctors, 66,000 teachers, and 78,000 police officers, respectively.
This disparity highlights the growing frustration with government priorities. Many Nigerians believe that essential workers, who directly impact lives daily, should be prioritised over sports achievements, which aren’t peculiar to Nigeria.

Calls for reallocation
Meanwhile, human rights and civil society activists have slammed the government’s reward gesture, calling it “brutally unfair” to officers of the Nigeria Police Force, among other officers of our republic.

 A social commentator questioned the logic behind spending $5 million to celebrate a $1 million win. The backlash underscores the need for the government to reassess its priorities and address the wage crisis affecting key sectors like health, education, and security.

Apart from the negative effects of throwing cash at challenges without looking at the bigger picture, there is a sense in which we can say that Nigeria’s president missed a vital point in his speech to the nation on the Super Falcons’ superb performance.

 The president should have addressed the challenges of sports and, indeed soccer infrastructure in the country.

He should have also paid tribute to significant private investors in the football sector, specifically the proprietor of Ikenne-based Remo Stars in Ogun State, Citizen Kunle Soname, who has invested robustly in soccer and sports facilities in Ikenne, Ogun State.

Kunle Soname

The quiet operator, Soname, is the main investor in Value Jet, an Airline operator of the aircraft that flew the Super Falcons from Rabat to Abuja on Monday. Value Jet has been helpful to the country’s football industry. 

A presidential mention should have boosted the morale of such a significant Brand Ambassador who has done so much in sports infrastructure development and tourism without making noise.

Citizen Soname, the proprietor of the reigning Nigerian League champions, Remo Stars, should have been made to take a bow that day.

Besides, President Tinubu should have also challenged sports authorities in Nigeria to borrow from the brilliance of Morocco, which has incredibly invested in sports and, indeed, soccer facilities, to the administration of the soccer world.

He should have asked why the Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, the iconic Lagos Stadium in Surulere, Liberty Stadium in Ibadan aren’t functional.

 He should have asked rhetorically why Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo is always the only preferred facility for FIFA soccer competitions and friendlies.

Barely two years ago, one of Africa’s most resourceful sports journalists, Kunle Solaja, noted that Morocco’s Atlas Lions had become the most successful African country at the FIFA World Cup as the country made history of being the first in the continent to reach the semi-finals.

In the aftermath, they got the biggest prize money ever by an African team. Their prize money was $25 million they have invested in world-class soccer facilities in Morocco.

It was a worthy income for the investment that the country has made in football. Near the kingdom’s capital city, Rabat, sat one of the mind-blowing football projects sited at Sala Al-Jadida.

 It is called the Mohammed VI Football Complex. The project, a $6,114,925 (630 million in local currency -dirham), can be easily linked to the growing football success and influence of Morocco on the continent.

The complex is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities, in line with FIFA standards, making it one of the most important in the world. FIFA last week opened its Africa office inside the complex. 

According to the director of the complex, Hassan Kharbouchi, it was inaugurated by the kingdom’s monarch, His Majesty King Mohammed VI , in December 2019.

This complex is a real concentration of expertise and know-how, built on a 29.3-hectare site, it is intended to host national teams in training camps, as well as foreign national teams wishing to carry out their concentration camps in Morocco.

 European giant, Real Madrid, camped there in February 2023 on arrival for the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco that year. The complex has saved a lot of foreign money that would have been spent on camping the players abroad.

Even Argentine publication, Olé, has hailed Morocco as ‘Land of Football’. Olé, an Argentine national daily sports newspaper published in Buenos Aires, has hailed Morocco as an ultimate destination for football and football competitions.

After an explorative visit to the North African kingdom the other day, the publication concluded that Moroccans have almost the same passion for football as the Argentines. “The African country feels football like we do and is preparing to host the 2030 World Cup.”

Continuing, the publication asserts that “there is a champion in every neighbourhood” is a slogan that runs through the streets of Rabat, the capital of Morocco and is also heard in Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier and every city in the North African country, which will host the African Cup of Nations and co-host the 2030 World Cup.

The 2030 World Cup will begin in the South American trio Argentina-Uruguay-Paraguay, with one match in each country, and the rest will be played in the European trio Spain-Morocco-Portugal.

When will Nigerian leaders show commitment to developing critical sports infrastructure and sportsmen and women beyond meretricious dollar rain that can’t ensure the sustainability of winning streaks?

An array of existing and proposed stadiums in Morocco.

Meanwhile, at press time, I found this poem by a Nigerian soldier who is right in the middle, fighting Bandits in a part of the country.

 He wrote this poem I found online. He doesn’t want to be identified. But the message is quite instructive on the point at issue: The poem is titled:

‘MY CHILDREN MUST PLAY FOOTBALL’

—A Soldier’s Lament

I joined the military with no illusions of riches.
I joined not for wealth, but for something far more fragile—hope.
Like Christ at Calvary, I chose the cross of service.
A quiet, thankless sacrifice for a country that forgets too quickly.

I serve with honour—yes.
But honour is a poor substitute for a warm bed or a child’s smile.
I have shared my sleep with reptiles in the harsh deserts of the North,
And bathed in the oil-slicked waters of the Delta.
No comfort. No applause. Just duty.

I do not live—I exist.
Each breath is a borrowed moment.
A pawn on a bloodied chessboard, waiting for the hand of death.
No warning. No glory.
Just the soft thud of a bullet, the scream of shrapnel,
A name whispered in silence and forgotten before dawn.

If fate spares me death,
It may grant me a wheelchair.
A shattered spine, a missing limb, an eye lost to a grenade.
And if I return broken, I return to a family that must now carry me.
My wife, once full of laughter, is now full of worry.
My children are learning the weight of sorrow too soon.

And when I am gone?
What is left of me?
A folded flag. A bugle’s wail. A wife now prey to wolves in human skin.
My comrades offer “help”—but at a cost.
“Madam, let’s meet at Chodak Hotel. We can talk there.”

My daughter—freshly out of school—
A job within reach, but at the gate stands my old colleague:
“Tell her to come see me… in private.”
And even if she goes, there are no guarantees.
He may steal her dignity, and still slam the door in her face.

I gave 35 years to my nation.
I retire with “honour” and nothing more.
No house. No land. Just a certificate and a prayer.
I squat in the barracks, waiting for my meagre gratuity.
When it comes, I rent a house and squeeze my children into corners.
Before long, the money dries up like harmattan wells.
The landlord tosses us out.
I cough through sleepless nights… and then I die.
No obituary. No statue. No song.
Just another ghost in faded camouflage.

But if my children… if they play football—
Ah, if they play football!
In one tournament, they will do what 35 years of service could not.

A medal around their neck and they are heroes.
$100,000 from the President.
N10 million from every governor.
A 3-bedroom house with satin sheets and imported tiles.
Brand-new cars. Endorsements. Recognition.
Even the enemies I fought never gave me that.

That is why—my children must play football.
Not because it is noble.
But because it is the only way this nation listens.
I don’t speak for doctors, teachers, or police officers.
Their suffering is another tale.

I speak as a soldier.
There is no dignity left in this uniform.
Only dust. Only debt.
Only silence.

So go.
Go and play football.
And maybe—just maybe—
You will survive what this country does to its sons.

First published in The Guardian on Saturday, 2 August 2025. Martins Oloja is a former MD/Editor-in-Chief @ The Guardian

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