The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for awarding ₦150 million in cash rewards and national honours to the Super Falcons following their victory at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Egalitarian Voice reports that President Tinubu, on Monday evening, announced a $100,000 cash gift for each player and $50,000 for each coach and support staff member. In addition, the 24 players and 11 members of the technical crew were conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
The President also directed that each team member be allocated a three-bedroom apartment under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Scheme.
However, Sowore, while celebrating the Falcons’ achievement, expressed strong dissatisfaction over what he described as the government’s neglect of Nigeria’s police officers and security personnel, many of whom work in life-threatening conditions with little recognition or compensation.
“Life is brutally unfair to police officers in Nigeria. They die daily, underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked. Yet their families are left to suffer in silence,” Sowore stated on social media.
He questioned the government’s priorities, arguing that while sports achievements deserve commendation, critical sectors like security and public service are routinely ignored and underfunded.
Sowore’s remarks have since sparked debate online, with some Nigerians agreeing with his concerns about fairness and national priorities, while others defended the government’s gesture as a well-deserved reward for the historic win by the Super Falcons.
