₦airaland Forum

NIGERIA’S unstructured reward system is the current focus of a heated public debate. The issue of fair compensation for diverse and critical activities has been simmering over time. The Federal Government has unwittingly instigated another round of dissonance after the Super Falcons’ glorious triumph at the 2024 WAFCON.

Africa’s best female football squad secured their 10th WAFCON title on July 26 via a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over hosts, Morocco.

Athletes deserve celebration, but their achievements should not be prioritised above critical national needs such as saving lives, educating the youth, or safeguarding national security.

On Monday, the Federal Government also rewarded D’Tigress, Nigeria’s national female basketball team, after Sunday’s 78-64 victory over Mali in the final of the 2025 Afrobasket to win an unprecedented fifth straight title in Abidjan.


The reward for the Falcons, calculated at N1,500/$, saw each player pocketing $100,000 (N150 million) and each technical crew member $50,000 (N75 million). Added to this is a three-bedroom apartment for each beneficiary in the FCT, national honours and a celebratory fanfare funded by the taxpayer.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum contributed an additional N350 million, bringing the total largesse to nearly N5 billion, for winning a tournament whose prize was only $1 million. The players and crew received more rewards from corporate organisations and their state governments. More may still come.

While Nigerians take utmost pride in the Super Falcons and D’Tigress, this sentimental display of executive generosity underscores a fundamental dysfunction of the Nigerian state: a reward system devoid of structure, equity, or long-term vision.

Doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers hold Nigeria’s fragile systems together. They are not seeking luxury; they are begging for dignity.

Their skills, tenacity and resilience deserve national recognition and a measure of reward. On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu initiated steps to enhance the paltry pension of retired police officers.

Doctors have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the brain drain devastating the healthcare system, largely due to poor pay. Nurses only just suspended their strike after days of public health paralysis.


ASUU is once again threatening industrial action as long-standing grievances remain unaddressed. Teachers were on strike in Abuja for about 100 days.

Nigeria rewards spectacle and neglects substance. National recognition is not the exclusive preserve of entertainers and sports figures, no matter how exceptional their achievements. A system where reward is arbitrary, emotionally driven, and utterly divorced from public policy is not sustainable.

There should be a structured process. The Ministry of Sports should disburse the rewards pre-agreed before a tournament, not at the whim of the executive.

Ahead of Euro 2025, the Lionesses (England) agreed with the FA to share £1.75 million out of the £4.4 million winning prize given by UEFA from the tournament’s total package of £34 million. Instructively, the English FA gave the reward, not the British government.

Out of the £1.75 million, the taxman and National Insurance will deduct £788,000, leaving the players to share less than £1 million.

The FIRS should deduct the appropriate tax from these rewards. The Federal Government and the state governments should learn from this example.

Nigeria is in one of the worst economic downturns in decades, with inflation surging, food prices unbearable, and the naira floundering, so, it is not the time to whimsically allocate billions to a football team without institutional checks.

Citizens are not asking for handouts: they desire a just reward system. The minimum wage is about $46 per month, so giving $100,000 per player is excessive.

Nigeria should extend equal honour to those who make daily, often invisible, sacrifices to keep it functioning, teachers in under-resourced classrooms, doctors working without essential tools, and lecturers moulding the next generation under crumbling roofs. Their victories may not draw stadium cheers, but they are no less heroic.

helinues:
Tell the South East governors to start all you listed above. Wondering why you guys always think too much of yourself, one tribe out of how many.

Imagine calling others fools because of politics.

Your Peter Obi increased Anambra state tuition fee by 100% claiming education is not for the poor, the same Peter Obi has been running his mouth as if he never governed before or had the opportunity to change things.

Eish

helinues:
Tell the South East governors to start all you listed above. Wondering why you guys always think too much of yourself, one tribe out of how many.

Imagine calling others fools because of politics.

Your Peter Obi increased Anambra state tuition fee by 100% claiming education is not for the poor, the same Peter Obi has been running his mouth as if he never governed before or had the opportunity to change things.

Eish

Penguin2:
Why are you triggered?

helinues:
It's a gradual process. The tertiary staff members have been offered loans, the NYSC have been offered loans, the students are getting NELFUND.

All those listed above, no past presidents ever did that.

So make una chillax

autoez:
Reward fire. All these people are already on salaries. How about the less privileged ones that are yet to secure a job. Sports is a highly paid job and brings national honors. Meds are also highly paid..

Ofunaofu:
https://punchng.com/falcons-reward-doctors-ASUU-teachers-also/

anonimi:
FCT Teacher’s Strike: The unfolding crisis that has kept Abuja’s children out of school for months

The industrial action is the third in a series since late 2024.

ByQosim SuleimanandZainab Adewale July 2, 2025 Reading Time: 4 mins read
For over three months, public primary school pupils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been out of the classroom due to a teachers’ strike.

The industrial action has seen multiple suspensions and resumptions and is the third since late 2024.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/north-central/804767-fct-teachers-strike-the-unfolding-crisis-that-has-kept-abujas-children-out-of-school-for-months.html?tztc=1

Penguin2:
When we talk about New Nigeria, fools think it’s because we want Peter Obi to be president or because we want Igbo presidency. No!

It’s because we want value reorientation where the right things will be prioritized and valued again.

With the way Nigeria currently is, I would rather be a boy boy to the Special Assistant to a Special Assistant than strive to become a professor.

I have no issue with Falcons and D’Tigress being rewarded but like Punch said, we should reward teachers too.

If I ever become president, teachers will be one of the highest paid; and teaching will be one of the most difficult professions to qualify for.

Catampey:
We should not forget teacher so I beg they should also reward us abundantly our reward day and we know but now this world first

autoez:
Reward fire. All these people are already on salaries. How about the less privileged ones that are yet to secure a job. Sports is a highly paid job and brings national honors. Meds are also highly paid..

thewinning101:
PANDORA PAPERS: Buhari visited Tinubu in corruption-tainted London villa acquired by Oyetola

Governor Oyetola, a relative of Mr Tinubu, may have sabotaged his own country by buying the exotic property as Nigeria made to seize it.
ByNicholas IbekweandTaiwo-Hassan Adebayo October 7, 2021 in Headline Stories, Pandora Papers Reading Time: 8 mins read

It was a meeting of two of Nigeria’s most influential politicians in London – President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting political kingmaker and senior member of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

In July, the presidency announced that Mr Buhari was heading to London for an education summit. The office also added that the president would also see his doctors for “medical check-up”.

Coincidentally, Mr Tinubu, who had travelled to London earlier, was also receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment in the British capital. So, a perfect setting for both men to meet was created.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/pandora-papers/488537-pandora-papers-buhari-visited-tinubu-in-corruption-tainted-london-villa-acquired-by-oyetola.html?tztc=1

Penguin2:
When we talk about New Nigeria, fools think it’s because we want Peter Obi to be president or because we want Igbo presidency. No!

It’s because we want value reorientation where the right things will be prioritized and valued again.

With the way Nigeria currently is, I would rather be a boy boy to the Special Assistant to a Special Assistant than strive to become a professor.

I have no issue with Falcons and D’Tigress being rewarded but like Punch said, we should reward teachers too.

If I ever become president, teachers will be one of the highest paid; and teaching will be one of the most difficult professions to qualify for.

Mrchippychappy:
People should rest on this issue of gross mismanagement of public funds and a complete case of misplaced priorities?

Veterans in the armed forces are struggling to feed their family by the way.

Doctors are fleeing the country to become janitors due to poor wages.

Most of these girls are based in Europe or USA and already earn a good salary playing for football and basketball teams in these Western countries.

No one is saying they shouldn't be rewarded but must it be 100,000 usd? How do we justify this and then turn a blind eye to the plight of veterans? Na wa oh

Even the Lioness of England that just won the euros were paid much less than this and that was a much bigger competition.

Priorities people, Priorities. Loosing your conscience over some political party wey no send you is a crazy way to live your life.

helinues:
There is no triggering from my comments. I only asked you to start practicing what you are preaching