By Obike Ukoh.
(C) Google.
Rewarding athletes after triumphant outings is an unofficial institutionalized Nigerian culture. What the reward should be, is however, not codified.
When the Super Eagles, led by late Christian Chukwu, won the African Cup of Nations in 1980, the players were given a house each and conferred with National Honours.
States, also reward their athletes, especially after the National Sports Festival ( popularly called Nigerian Olympics).
Governors usually announce cash rewards and scholarships, as many students participate in the festival.
The rewards, both at the federal and state levels, are usually Surprise Packages, as the President or Governors, as the case may, keep the rewards on their chests.
The gestures are usually applauded, as it is not mandatory to do so.
But the recent reward to the victorious Super Falcons by President Bola Tinubu, was greeted with mixed reactions. People did not condemn the National Honours conferred on the athletes, nor the 3-bedroom flat given to each of them.
There is already a precedent on that. The outrage was the $100,000 promised each of the players.
Going by the current exchange rate of the naira to a dollar, that translates to about N150 million given to an athlete just for playing in a tournament. The reward was said to be the highest in the 27-year history of the team when they first won the Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.
Incidentally, the time of the naira bazaar coincided when retirees were on rampage, to protest about their meagre entitlements and inability to make ends meet.
Retired police officers, retired army officers and retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, were all lamenting economic hardship, when the President announced a N150million gift to each of the players in the victorious team.
A newspaper editorial captured people’s mode about the reward, which unarguably, is well deserved.
The editorial is titled: “Falcons: Reward doctors, ASUU, teachers also.
The newspaper accused the Federal Government of unwittingly instigating another round of dissonance, stressing that while athletes deserved celebration, their achievements should not be prioritised above critical national needs such as saving lives, educating the youths, or safeguarding national security.
The paper noted that the same gesture was extended to the D’Tigress, while the total cost of the reward was put at N5 billion.
“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.
“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,’’ the paper stressed.
According to the paper, 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, stressing that the $100,000 per player is excessive, in a country where the minimum wage is $46.
The victories of the lecturers, nurses, doctors among other professional, “ may not draw stadium cheers’’ but they are no less heroic, the paper emphasized.
On its part, The Senator Nenadi Usman-led Labour Party, frowned at the dollarization of the reward.
The party described the president’s action as “utterly shameful” and unpatriotic.
Mr Ken Asogwa, the Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the Interim National Chairman of the party, stated that “the nation’s foremost custodian and presumed chief ambassador of the Nigerian naira, chose to reward our gallant Super Falcons in United States dollars.”
“Watching the President, on national television, announce that the victorious Super Falcons would receive financial rewards ‘equivalent to $100,000’ was not only nauseating but deeply unpatriotic.
“Even if, as some may argue, he meant the naira equivalent, the symbolic elevation of the dollar over our national currency by the Commander-in-Chief is a damning indictment of his administration’s economic mindset.
“This act speaks volumes about the level of disdain and lack of faith this government has in the naira, the very symbol of our economic sovereignty.’’
As expected, members of the sports community, applauded the gesture, adding that the President was in order.
A former Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Alhassan Yakmut, who spoke, said he was happy to be alive to witness the day.
He advised that reward for victorious athletes should not stop at the national level, but should be extended to the grassroots where budding athletes need motivation to develop.
He said: “I am very happy the Super Falcons have been honoured this way. In 1991, I was part of those that named the team Falcons.
“Maryam Babangida wanted a special name for the team ahead of their first international competition against Cameroon. I was part of the team then alongside Sibiat Abiola.
“I am happy that I’m alive to witness the national team I helped nurture being the champions for the 10th time. And it is unique for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he was a close confidant of the late pillar of sports, Chief MKO Abiola.
“I am also very happy with the honour. This should go down to the state and local levels where the governments at these levels honour athletes representing them. This will end the restive nature of our teeming youths.”
On his own part, the Chairman of the FCT FA, Alhaji Adam Mouktar Mohammed, said what President Tinubu did was historic, saying it would engender more patriotism in Nigerian athletes.
He commended the Super Falcons for delivering on the promise they made to the entire nation before the 2024 WAFCON in Morocco.
“The Super Falcons made a pledge and delivered the 10th WAFCON in style against the host country in a dramatic fashion.
“Then back home, the President and Commander-in-Chief made history with the biggest cash prize ever as reward for the joy, happiness and positive image they brought to the nation.
“This is also a clear signal that the president takes sports seriously and is even ready to reward sporting success in a rewarding and motivating fashion.
“This is gratifying because the girls deserve everything they received from the president,” he said.
A former Super Eagles player, Garba Lawal, who commented said: “The girls deserve it. No one initially gave them a chance, but now, they are African champions.
“The gesture from the government is heartwarming and it is a clear message to our athletes, not just football alone, that they should strive to do their best and they will be honoured.
“The Super Eagles didn’t win AFCON but were honoured, but with this, I believe the boys will want to do better in their future competitions.”
Lawal’s former teammate, Mutiu Adepoju, said the presidential gesture would motivate the Super Eagles to turn around their dwindling fortunes and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“This is good news and a huge morale booster. I think the Super Eagles will see this and will be motivated to do the same if not more. This will improve women’s football as a whole,” he said.
The position of stakeholders is clear. Nobody is against reward to glorious athletes. It is an established tradition.
But they are against overdose reward and complete neglect of people working in critical areas like health sector, security, education, among others in the uncoordinated reward system.
As suggested, is it imperative to standardize the system, in order to pre-determine the reward, so that it will not be at the whims of anybody.
Obike is a retired Deputy Chief in Chief, News Agency of Nigeria,NAN.
