Members of the House of Representatives have strongly frowned at the way the Nigerian government treated the victorious female national team, otherwise known as Super Falcons, who recently won the nations’ cup.
The lawmakers strongly slammed the Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalong, and the Nigerian Football Federation for failing to pay their match bonuses and allowances.
DAILY POST reports that the female national football team had won the 10th edition of the African Women championship just concluded in Cameroon and were left uncelebrated and not paid their entitlements.
Following the development, the enraged players invaded the national assembly to protest the refusal of the government to pay them their money.
At its sitting on Thursday, the House condemned Dalong and the NFF, saying that their actions brought shame upon Nigeria.
A former Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran, had sponsored a motion on the burning issue.
Omidiran, who is from Osun State, noted that, “For the past two weeks, the space has been filled with the cries of these ladies.
“Has it become a crime to make your country proud? What makes it more painful is the fact that the Cameroonian girls, who came second, were celebrated by their President (Paul Biya).
“These girls are not asking for anything extraordinary, but the allowances owed them from the qualifiers till they won the trophy.
“What would have happened if the girls had refused to leave Cameroon and carry out the protests on the streets of that country?”
Reacting, another member from Edo State, Mr. Sergius Ose-Ogun, noted that there was something wrong with the Nigerian attitude to things.
“It is not only in sports, Mr. Speaker. Even in the civil service, workers retire after 35 years and they are not paid their dues.
“Why did they have to subject these girls to so much pain?
“There is an evil spirit in this country, which must die”, he said.
The Deputy House Minority Leader, Mr. Chukwuka Onyeama, told the House that Nigeria would have been saved from the disgrace by simply declining to participate in the championship.
“This is a major disgrace and I don’t know how to explain it”, Onyeama noted.
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