The National Sports Commission has announced that Nigeria’s Super Falcons have received the presidential cash rewards promised after their 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations victory, with each player entitled to the naira equivalent of $100,000. The commission confirmed the payments on Monday, 2 November 2026, bringing the financial component of President Bola Tinubu’s reward package to a close.
The commission said coaches and other team officials were also paid the naira equivalent of $50,000 each. Its announcement followed months of questions about when the cash awards would reach the players, who had already received national honours and documentation for their housing allocations.
According to the commission’s statement, issued through Kola Daniel, Special Assistant on Media to its Director-General, the payments fulfil the President’s commitment to the national team. Reports on the disbursement put the amount received by individual players at approximately ₦140 million, although the exact naira value depends on the exchange rate applied to the payment.
National Sports Commission Chairman Shehu Dikko welcomed the development and said the President had honoured his commitment to the team. He described the disbursement as recognition of the players’ achievements and expressed appreciation for the government’s decision to complete the outstanding awards.
The original pledge was made at a presidential reception in Abuja on 28 July 2025, two days after the Super Falcons defeated Morocco 3-2 in the final in Rabat. Nigeria recovered from a two-goal deficit to win a record-extending tenth continental title, securing another major achievement for the country’s women’s football programme.
At that reception, President Tinubu approved the naira equivalent of $100,000 for each of the 24 players and $50,000 for each member of the technical team. He also announced the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger and three-bedroom apartments under the federal housing programme.
The State House’s announcement at the time set out the scale of the reward package, but an approval did not itself mean that the money had entered recipients’ accounts. The National Sports Commission subsequently reported progress on the housing documents and honours while the cash payments remained in the government’s disbursement process.
In September 2026, the commission said the Super Falcons had received certificates of occupancy for their apartments and certificates confirming their national honours. It explained that the cash component was being processed through the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, with direct transfers expected through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The latest announcement marks a different stage from those earlier assurances. It reports that the cash awards have now been disbursed, rather than merely approved or prepared. The commission’s statement is the official confirmation of payment; individual banking records were not made available in the announcement reviewed for this report.
Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade was among those who welcomed the fulfilment of the pledge. The commission and reporting on its announcement described the reward as recognition of the team’s contribution to Nigerian sport, particularly the achievement of securing a tenth African championship.
The cash awards follow a separate presidential reward programme for Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress. The National Sports Commission confirmed in September that players and officials of that team had received their own cash awards after winning the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket title. The two programmes are distinct, although both were announced in recognition of major international successes.
The timing of the Super Falcons’ payment is significant because it closes a lengthy interval between the public promise and the transfer of the funds. Nigerian athletes have repeatedly raised concerns over delays in bonuses, allowances and other benefits, making the difference between an announced reward and money actually received a matter of public interest.
The team’s 2025 title came through one of the most dramatic finals in the competition’s history. After trailing Morocco by two goals, Nigeria completed its comeback through goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi and Jennifer Echegini. That victory extended the country’s standing as the most successful side in the history of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The November payment confirmation concerns the rewards for that 2025 triumph. It does not establish that every separate financial commitment to Nigerian football, or every future benefit promised to the players, has been settled.
Featured image: Nigeria’s Super Falcons celebrating their 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations victory in Morocco. Archival team photograph via TRT Afrika. The photograph shows the championship celebration, not the November 2026 payment announcement.
