Tinubu Gifts Flamingos N100m Savings Bonds Each, Here’s Why It Wasn’t Cash

According to a report by The Punch on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, President Bola Tinubu has rewarded the Flamingos, Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national football team, with Federal Government Savings Bonds worth N100m each, in recognition of their historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The announcement came on Wednesday at a reception held in the players’ honour at the State House, Abuja.

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, received the players and crew on behalf of the President and announced the rewards.

The team’s coach was given a savings certificate of the same N100m value, while each member of the technical crew received N50m in cash.

The Flamingos made history recently by becoming the first African team to win the tournament, a feat that has drawn praise from across the country.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, explained why the players were given bonds instead of cash.

According to him, the decision was deliberate and aimed at protecting the long-term interests of the girls, most of whom are teenagers. He said there was no need to flood them with money that could distort their careers.

Dikko said the bonds run for about five years and earn roughly 14 per cent interest annually. By his estimate, each player will receive a little over N1.1m monthly during that period, enough to cover education, training and family needs while they continue playing football.

By the time the bonds mature, he noted, the girls will be adults and able to make informed decisions about their own money.

He also drew a comparison many parents would understand. Few fathers, he said, would hand N100m to a 15 or 16-year-old, but many would invest it so that the child is financially secure at 20. In his words, that is what the President has done, and he described it as unprecedented.

On the team’s future, Dikko said decisions on the squad and coaching staff will depend on how many players remain eligible for the next U-17 cycle.

If many are still under the age limit, they could stay at that level with the same coach. If they move up to the U-21 category, he said, they should progress together with their coach.

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