Senate Makes Fresh Pledge to Flamingos After Historic World Cup Win

• The Senate has announced ₦100m for the Flamingos after their historic World Cup win and urged the Federal Government to reward the players.

The Senate has announced a ₦100 million donation to Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, after they won the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the donation during Tuesday’s plenary as lawmakers considered a motion by Senator Abdul Ningi (ADC, Bauchi Central) to congratulate the team. Nigeria defeated Japan 2–1 in the final in Rabat to become the first African country to win the competition.

Lawmakers call for greater recognition

Ningi said the Flamingos exceeded expectations and achieved a result that had eluded other Nigerian national teams. He expressed concern that the victory had received too little publicity and that the players had received insufficient official recognition on their return.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), who seconded the motion, praised the players’ determination and asked the Senate leadership to contribute financially to their education as they pursue their football careers.

The Senate adopted the motion and urged the Federal Government to reward the players. Lawmakers also congratulated Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu for his support for sports development, and the National Sports Commission, led by Shehu Dikko.

Akpabio urges NFF to keep the squad together

Akpabio said the National Assembly’s donation was intended to recognise the team’s achievement and encourage the players to build on it. He urged the Nigeria Football Federation to keep the squad together and invest in the players’ development ahead of future competitions.

“I want to commend the Flamingos, the U-17 youth team of Nigeria, for defeating major countries such as Brazil and Japan to win the Under-17 World Cup for Africa for the first time and for Nigeria.

“We also urged, and we pray that the Federal Government will recognise these children accordingly and give them adequate rewards.

“The Nigerian Football Federation, under its leadership, should see the need to keep these children together and develop them further,” Akpabio said.

He also appealed to wealthy Nigerians and sports enthusiasts to support the team and help create more opportunities for young people to participate in sports.