Super Falcons payment claim raises questions as players says $100,000 reward still unpaid
Fresh questions have emerged over the payment of the Federal Government’s presidential cash reward to members of Nigeria’s Super Falcons, with two players from the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad privately insisting that they are yet to receive the money.
The development comes amid conflicting information from the National Sports Commission (NSC) over the status of the outstanding financial component of the reward package approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the team.
The NSC, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said players and officials of both the Super Falcons and D’Tigress had received the financial rewards promised by the President.
However, two members of the Super Falcons’ 2024 WAFCON-winning squad, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity, said they had not received the cash payment as of Wednesday.
“I have not received the money,” one of the players said briefly.
Another player also confirmed that the payment had not reflected in her account, saying: “Nothing has entered my account yet.”
The claims appear to contradict the NSC’s latest communication, which stated that the financial rewards for both teams had been paid following the conclusion of discussions between NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele.
The Commission had earlier said the cash component was being processed by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for direct payment to the beneficiaries.
In its September 9 statement celebrating D’Tigress’ receipt of their rewards, the NSC said the Super Falcons had also received their financial rewards within three days of the conclusion of the payment process.
However, a report published on Thursday by THISDAY quoted the NSC as saying the Super Falcons would receive their cash rewards before their next official engagements, suggesting that their payment had not yet been completed. 
The discrepancy is particularly significant because the Super Falcons’ presidential reward package was announced after their triumph at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, staged in Morocco in 2025.
Each player was promised the naira equivalent of $100,000, while members of the technical and support teams were to receive the equivalent of $50,000.
The package also included three-bedroom apartments in Abuja and national honours.
The housing and honours components have already been presented to the players. The NSC confirmed that the Super Falcons received the title documents for their three-bedroom apartments and certificates for the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) honour during the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco. 
It is therefore the cash component that remains at the centre of the latest controversy.
The delay had already generated concern before the 2026 WAFCON, with reports that the $100,000 reward remained outstanding almost a year after President Tinubu announced it.
The NSC subsequently explained that bureaucratic procedures were responsible for the delay, while assuring the players that the payment process was being concluded. 
The development also comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s decision to honour D’Tigress after their record fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket triumph.
According to the NSC, D’Tigress players were credited with the naira equivalent of $100,000 each, while officials received the equivalent of $50,000. The Commission said the payments were confirmed by the beneficiaries. 
For the Super Falcons, however, the accounts of the two players interviewed suggest that the situation may not yet be as settled as the latest NSC statement indicates.
The players requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter and did not accuse the government or the NSC of withholding their money. Their position was simply that the promised cash had not reflected in their individual accounts.
The conflicting accounts now leave a straightforward question for the authorities: have all eligible Super Falcons players and officials actually received the cash component of the presidential reward, or is the payment still being processed?
A clear clarification from the NSC would help settle the matter and provide certainty to members of the 2024 WAFCON-winning squad who are still awaiting their financial reward.
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