The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday approved a ₦100 million cash reward for the Under-17 Flamingos in recognition of their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Abdul Ningi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, who praised the young players for their determination, resilience and unwavering commitment throughout the tournament in Morocco. Lawmakers described the victory as a landmark achievement that has brought immense honour to Nigeria and the African continent.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) particularly celebrated the Flamingos’ emphatic 2-1 final victory over Japan. He hailed the performance as a powerful demonstration of Nigeria’s sporting excellence and called for meaningful financial support for the squad.

The Senate subsequently urged the Federal Government to match its gesture by providing a similar reward for the players and their technical crew. Lawmakers insisted that the team’s unprecedented success deserves full national recognition and celebration.

The Flamingos made history on November 7 by defeating Japan 2-1 in the final in Rabat, becoming the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Goals from Awawu Bashiru and Golden Ball winner Oluebube Umejiaku secured the title after the side recovered from an opening-group defeat to Poland and went on to win their remaining six matches.

Senators also congratulated Nigerians on the victory and commended President Bola Tinubu for what they described as adequate funding of sports development, which they credited as a contributing factor to the team’s success.

Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s team, the Flamingos, touched down in Abuja yesterday to a hero’s welcome after being crowned world champions.

They secured the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title in Morocco on Saturday, overcoming a hard-fighting Japanese team 2-1 in the final to become the first African nation ever to win the tournament.

The victorious girls arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from where they were taken and camped in a luxurious hotel in Abuja.

The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, and members of the NFF Management paid a visit to the Flamingos at their Abuja hotel in the afternoon.

They lauded the NFF and the entire Nigeria football family for the hard work, discipline and dedication of the young players.

Ikpeme fed the team with words of encouragement and motivation, assuring them of the Federal Government and the good people of Nigeria’s appreciation for how they had improved the country’s position on the world football map.

He reiterated that not only is Nigeria the first African country to win the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria is also the first African country to win male and female titles of the FIFA U17 World Cup.

There is no way the history of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup will be written without your names. The Federal Government is happy and the generality of Nigerians are happy about this accomplishment.

Our prayer is that as a collective and as individuals, you will continue to improve your game to get even better and take your game to the next level.”

He concluded with a fatherly advice to the girls, telling them to make a commitment to improve in every area of their game that they believe they have shortcomings, and never to stop aspiring for greater things.

“My prayer to you all is that, as you have decided to take football as a career, your career will not end abruptly; it will keep progressing.

As a federation, we want to see that you progress from the U-17 level to the U-20 and then the Super Falcons.”

Credit: Daily Trust

Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has alleged that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting members of Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, at an airport over fears of losing their jobs.

Obi said he was informed that the officials had warned against allowing him to approach the players, threatening that they would all lose their jobs if he greeted the team.

The former Anambra State governor disclosed this in a post on X on Monday while expressing concern over what he described as the growing culture of toxic politics in Nigeria.

Obi said he arrived at the airport around 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he sighted the Flamingos, who had just arrived and were preparing to leave the airport.

He said he subsequently asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and welcome the players.

However, he alleged that NFF officials rejected the request and instructed that he should not approach the team.

Obi recalled that the incident was not the first time he had been prevented from interacting with members of a Nigerian national team.

He recalled that on March 25, 2025, when he travelled to Uyo for a World Cup qualifying match, the state governor warmly received him at the VIP stand.

However, he alleged that after the match, when other government officials went to greet the players, he was prevented from doing the same.