The All-Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council’s Directorate of Women Mobilisation has described the Flamingos’ historic FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup triumph as proof that Nigerian girls can compete with the world’s best when they are given opportunity, investment and institutional backing.
The directorate, led by Dr Betta Edu, spoke after the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, received the world champions at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday on behalf of President Bola Tinubu — an event at which the President’s reward package for the team was announced.
Each of the 21 players is to receive a ₦100 million Federal Government Savings Bond held in trust until they come of age, rather than cash, because they are still minors. The bonds attract an annual interest rate of 14 per cent and run for five years. Head coach Akeem Busari gets ₦100 million cash, while each member of the technical crew receives ₦50 million.
The First Lady, who hosted what she called the President’s banquet for the team, said the country was proud of the players and explained why the players’ reward was structured as a bond.
“So do you know what a savings certificate is? It’s money, but it’s in trust for you. You are still very young. You want to start handling 100 million now?” she asked the players, while urging them to remain grounded in faith.
Nigeria beat Japan 2–1 in the final on Saturday, 7 November, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, Morocco, to win the competition for the first time.
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Awawu Bashiru put the Flamingos ahead in the 39th minute, her dropping effort slipping through the gloves of Japanese goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki after an assist from Mary Dunstan. Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead two minutes into the second half, latching onto Esther Stephen’s long pass and lifting the ball over Kadowaki.
Japan pulled one back through Fuki Ito in the 80th minute and pressed for an equaliser, but Nigeria held on through five minutes of added time to seal the title.
The triumph made Nigeria the first African country to win the U-17 Women’s World Cup, and the first African nation to have won the U-17 World Cup in both the men’s and women’s categories. It also ended a long wait for a Nigerian women’s team at the summit of the world game.
The Campaign
The victory capped a campaign that began badly. The Flamingos lost their opening group match 2–1 to Poland, then beat Puerto Rico 2–0 before producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets — a 3–1 win over defending champions North Korea that ended the Asians’ 18-match unbeaten run in regulation time.
They followed with a 2–1 win over Mexico in the round of 16, a 1–0 quarter-final victory over Venezuela sealed by Azeezat Oduntan’s 89th-minute penalty, and a 3–1 semi-final win over Brazil in which Queen Joseph opened the scoring and Bashiru struck twice. It was Nigeria’s first appearance in the final of the competition.
Before travelling to Morocco, the team won the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire with five wins from five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding once. Coach Busari credited psychological support and restored confidence for the turnaround after the opening defeat, while captain Harmony Chidi said lifting the trophy would be a moment she would never forget.
The Directorate’s message
In their reaction, Edu and other leaders of the women’s mobilisation directorate said the President’s reward and the First Lady’s encouragement demonstrated the administration’s recognition of the potential and contribution of Nigerian girls and women.
They argued that the Flamingos had broken a barrier in international women’s football, showing that Nigerian girls can face the world’s best and win, and that the result underlined the case for investing in the girl child through sport, education, entrepreneurship and leadership development.
The directorate described the First Lady’s work on women’s empowerment, inclusion and youth development as an inspiration to millions of Nigerian women working to overcome social and economic barriers, and congratulated the players, their coaching staff and the Nigeria Football Federation.
It urged the young champions to keep the discipline, courage and determination that carried them to the title, and called on Nigerian girls to draw from their example.
APC Women
The commendation came from a campaign organ of the ruling party. The PCC, chaired for President Tinubu’s re-election bid, created and restructured its directorates in October, naming Mary Idele as director of the women’s mobilisation directorate, with Edu as deputy director and Imaan Suleman as secretary.
Edu, a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, was suspended from that office in January 2024 amid an investigation into the alleged diversion of ₦585 million in public funds; she denied wrongdoing.
She has since become one of the most visible campaigners for the President’s 2027 ticket, leading the directorate’s outreach in states including Edo, Rivers, Jigawa and Ebonyi.
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