A social media storm is brewing as Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has taken a swipe at the Presidency over its defense of the cash and housing rewards given to Nigeria’s Super Falcons following their historic win at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The controversy erupted after Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, publicly expressed his dismay at the criticism directed at the President’s gesture. Tinubu had rewarded each player of the national women’s team with $100,000, coaches and support staff with $50,000, and conferred national honors of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all 24 players and 11 technical crew members. Furthermore, the team was also promised three-bedroom apartments under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Scheme.
Onanuga, clearly frustrated by the backlash, drew a striking comparison via a post on his X handle on Tuesday, where he referenced the N150 million grand prize awarded to the winner of the Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) reality show. He questioned why Nigerians were not equally outraged by the lavish prize handed out on BBNaija, which he described as a private show.
But Paul Ibe wasn’t having it.
In a sharp rebuttal posted on his own X handle on Wednesday, Ibe labeled Onanuga’s comparison as “misplaced,” emphasizing the fundamental difference between private enterprise and public expenditure.
“Dear @aonanuga1956,
I believe that the Super Falcons and indeed any other team or individuals who have made Nigeria proud deserve to be rewarded. That’s a no-brainer.
However, the comparison to Multichoice paying N150 million to winners of BBNaija is misplaced. Multichoice is spending private money generated from its business operations while Tinubu is spending from our commonwealth. Even the fish that lives inside of bodies of water does not consume water with reckless abandon,” Ibe wrote.
The comment, especially the fish analogy, has since gone viral drawing applause from some quarters and sparking debate across others.
While many Nigerians agree that the Super Falcons deserve to be celebrated and rewarded for their remarkable achievement on the continental stage, the issue at the heart of the controversy is transparency and fiscal responsibility especially at a time when the country is grappling with economic hardship.
Critics argue that while the sentiment behind the rewards is admirable, the optics of such grand spending from public coffers in contrast to a private company like Multichoice funding its reality show sends the wrong message.
As the conversation continues to trend online, the clash of perspectives has not only reignited debates around sports funding and national pride, but also raised important questions about the use of public resources in times of economic strain.
