Presidency Fires Back at Critics Over Tinubu’s $100,000 Rewards to Super Falcons, Compares Prize to BBNaija ₦150m

The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s lavish rewards to the Super Falcons—$100,000, houses, and national honours each—after their WAFCON victory, dismissing criticism as ungrateful.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga compared the gesture to the ₦150 million Big Brother Naija prize, insisting the players deserve the celebration.

The Presidency has defended the national honours, cash rewards, and houses awarded to Nigeria’s Super Falcons by President Bola Tinubu after their victorious outing at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

At a reception held on Monday, July 28, in Abuja, Tinubu conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all 24 players and 11 technical crew members. Each player also received the naira equivalent of $100,000, while each member of the technical team got $50,000.

Additionally, the president approved three-bedroom apartments for all recipients in the Renewed Hope Housing Estate.

The gesture has triggered mixed reactions among Nigerians. While some praised Tinubu for honouring the Falcons’ achievement, others criticized the rewards as extravagant given the country’s economic hardship.

AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore condemned the disparity, contrasting it with the poor conditions of Nigeria Police Force officers:

“Life is brutally unfair to Nigeria Police Force @policeng officers! Super Falcons won WAFCON, trained for one year, played for one month, were rewarded with $100,000 (N150 million) each and houses! Police officers… worked 35 years, retired with $1,500 (N2 million) no houses, no medicals, and a little pension!”

Other users on X (formerly Twitter) also weighed in:
@ISAACJUNIOR9 said:

“I thought it was $10,000 until I discovered it was $100,000… 100,000 USD for a trophy valued at 1 million USD & in the current hardship is outrageous. Like 30,000 should be okay.”

@AchilleusChud described the decision as “wasteful”, while @Ezekwem_Franklin argued:

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“I’m not against the gift, but that amount is too much for a country whose citizens are living in abject poverty, infrastructural decay, and insecurity. This wasn’t thoughtful from President Tinubu; it’s not a good way to buy favour.”

Presidency Fires Back at Critics

However, some Nigerians welcomed the president’s gesture, calling it deserved recognition for the Super Falcons’ victory.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga defended the rewards in a post on X on Tuesday, drawing a comparison with the ₦150 million grand prize for Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) winners:

“When you remember that Multichoice, the organiser of the BBNaija reality show, is offering the winner a ₦150 million grand prize, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons,” he wrote.

Despite the controversy, the Presidency maintains that celebrating the Falcons’ success boosts national pride and encourages excellence in sports.