Tinubu Rewards World Cup Champions Flamingos With ₦100m Savings Bonds Each

​President Bola Tinubu has rewarded members of Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, with ₦100 million Federal Government Savings Bonds each, following their historic victory at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
​The announcement was made by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who received the team and their handlers on behalf of the President during a reception at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
​Key Breakdown of the State House Reward Package
​Players: ₦100 million each in 5-year Federal Government Savings Bonds (issued via GTBank).
​Head Coach (Akeem Busari): ₦100 million cash award.
​Technical Crew: ₦50 million cash award for each member.
​NSC Rationale: Securing Futures Over Instant Cash
​Explaining the decision to utilize long-term government securities for the players rather than direct cash payouts, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, emphasized the need to safeguard the young athletes’ career paths and long-term financial stability.
​”There is no need to flood them with money that can distort their career. So we are now giving them what we call an FGN savings bond for like five years. That savings bond comes at like 14, 12 per cent interest annually, meaning each of them will be adding like ₦1.1m plus monthly for the next five years, which is enough to look outside their education, to look outside their training, and then by the time those bonds mature, they are already adults. They can make a clear decision of what to do with their own money.”
​— Shehu Dikko, Chairman, National Sports Commission
​Dikko highlighted that no responsible guardian would release liquid capital of that magnitude to teenagers, adding that the monthly yields generated by the bonds will cover ongoing academic, training, and welfare costs while protecting the core capital until maturity.
​”I don’t think there is any father that wants to give his 15 or 16-year-old ₦100m at this age,” he noted. “But you can invest for your 16-year-old so that at 20 they will have money to set up their life. That’s basically what the President has done, which is unprecedented.”
​Team Continuity and Transition Plans
​Addressing the ongoing management of the squad and technical leadership, Dikko stated that future steps will depend on age eligibility metrics across upcoming cycles.
​He noted that eligible players will be retained for the next U-17 campaign alongside the coaching staff, while players aging out into higher categories (such as the U-20 level) may transition together with the coaching team to maintain technical consistency.
​The Flamingos etched their names in sports history by becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.L