‘BBNaija offers N150m’ – Tinubu govt defends presidential rewards to super Falcons

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the reward package given to the Super Falcons following their triumph at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Onanuga expressed surprise at public criticism surrounding the presidential gesture. He questioned the negative reactions from some Nigerians, comparing the rewards to the N150 million prize awarded to the winner of the BBNaija reality show.

“When you remember that Multichoice, the organizer 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,” he wrote.

REPUBLICAN NIGERIA recalls that President Bola Tinubu awarded each of the 24 players $100,000, while each coach and support staff member received $50,000. The president also conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all team members and officials.

In addition, each player and staff member will receive a three-bedroom apartment under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Scheme.

Onanuga emphasized that the president’s gesture was a recognition of “excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry, and the undying Nigerian spirit.”