By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
An astute football administrator and former Secretary General of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) presently called federation, Alhaji Sani Ahmed Toro has thrown his full weight behind the call by United Ex-Super Falcons on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to also extend the national honours and financial largesse given to the current members of the senior women’s football team to retired players who won nine Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) trophies for Nigeria in their active days.
His support for the demands of retired Falcons was made public in a press statement by the spokesperson of the group Patience Avre-Odeli who said Alhaji Toro, who was the Deputy General Co-ordinator, Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the first-ever African Women Championship (AWC), now WAFCON, in 1998 when the Super Falcons won the first WAFCON title after a 2-0 defeat of Ghana’s Black Queens at Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta on Saturday, October
31, 1998, is in full support of the demands of former Super Falcons players for national recognition.
This is even as the former scribe of Nigeria’s football governing body, who is the Yarima Toro in
Toro Local Government Area (LGA) Bauchi state is also advocating for national sports rewards
system that prioritizes the welfare of sportsmen and women, especially after their retirement.
Said he: “I equally support their appeal to President Bola Tinubu to extend the largesse being doled out to the team that recently won the 10th WAFCON title for Nigeria.
“It will be very good if Mr. President listens and honours these incredible pacesetters who gave their best to their father land.
“They did not get their fair treatment in those years they won many trophies for Nigeria. I joined in appealing to the federal government to honour our heroes and heroines past. “
Recall United Ex-Super Falcons, a group of retired national women’s team players, have made direct
demands to President Tinubu to extend the same lavish honours and financial largesse given to the 2024 WAFCON-winning Falcons.
In recognition of this remarkable achievement, President Tinubu announced a reward package that includes $100,000 for each player, $50,000 for each member of the technical and backroom staff, a three-bedroom apartment in the Renewed Hope Housing Estate, Abuja, and the conferment of national honours – Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all players and staff.
But United Ex-Super Falcons, through their leaders, Patience Avre-Odeli, and ex-captains insist that the largesse should be extended to retired players, especially those who won nine trophies for Nigeria
in their active days before the 10th title was won last month.
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