Tinubu Splashes Flamingos With N100m Savings Bond Each

ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, announced a reward package of N100 million each for members of Nigeria’s victorious Under-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos.

The funds is to be managed by the Federal Government savings bond in Guaranty Trust Bank for their historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The president announced the reward through his wife, the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the State House, Abuja.

The First Lady described the achievement of the triumphant FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup champions as a remarkable mo­ment in the history of Nigerian and African sports, saying they have made the country proud by becoming the first African nation to win the prestigious title.

“I thank the parents, guard­ians, and fans whose support has nurtured these young champions, who stand as a shining testament to our belief that our youth are our greatest asset and a source of national pride.

“On behalf of Mr. President and the good people of the Feder­al Republic of Nigeria, I congrat­ulate you once again. You have made our nation proud, and we celebrate every one of you”.

She said the team’s victory has also elevated Nigerian football, will inspire millions of young girls and open a new chapter for women’s football in Africa.

“Through perseverance, strong determination and team­work, you won six consecutive matches and ultimately made history as world champions”.

The president through the first lady specifically celebrated Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku, whose decisive goals secured Nigeria’s victory in the final, with Umejiaku also emerg­ing as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and winning the Golden Ball award.

He urged the players not to al­low the celebrations surround­ing their historic achievement to distract them from their ca­reers.

The N100 million reward for each player will be invested in Federal Government savings bonds, a measure designed to secure their financial future and prevent the young footballers, whom are still minors, from be­ing overwhelmed by immediate access to large sums of money.

“I commend your humility even after this historic victory. It speaks volumes about your char­acter. I urge you to remain hum­ble, disciplined and focused, and always remember that Nigeria believes in you.

“You have elevated Nigerian football, inspired millions of young girls and opened a new chapter for women’s football in Africa, showing every Nigerian child that their dreams are valid and achievable even on the big­gest stages in the world”.

The president also commend­ed head coach, Akeem Busari, his technical crew, medical person­nel, administrators and officials for their dedication and sacrifices.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mal­lam Shehu Dikko, who stated that the structure of the reward which are Federal Government bonds would attract between 12 and 14 percent annual interest, with each player expected to re­ceive approximately N1.1 million monthly over the period.

He said this would provide the players with regular financial support for their education, fam­ilies, training and other welfare needs, while preserving the prin­cipal until they attain adulthood.

“These are young kids, under 17. There is no need to flood them with money. That can destroy their career. So Mr. President is now giving them what we call an FGN savings bond for like five years”.

He added that by the time the bonds mature, the players would have attained adulthood and would be better positioned to make informed financial de­cisions.

“By the time those bonds mature, they are already adults. They can make a clear decision on what to do with their own money”.

The Flamingos made history in Morocco by becoming the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the first African women’s team to win a FIFA World Cup title at any level.

Innocent Oweh, holds Higher National Diploma(HND) in Mass Communication from Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State. He has been a practicing journalist for almost two decades, transending various beats like Education,Labour, Information,SGF and currently the Presidency. A committed staff of Independent Newspapers Limited(INL) since 2008, he is married with children.

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