The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, has promised improved remuneration for the Super Falcons as part of the Federal Government’s broader plans to strengthen women’s sports in Nigeria.
Olopade disclosed that measures to increase the pay of the nine-time African champions are already being developed and will be made public soon.
“We have plans we are putting in place for improved pay for the Super Falcons which will be announced soon,” Olopade said in a statement released by the National Sports Commission on Monday.
The NSC boss said the government’s sports development strategy extends beyond major stadium projects, with emphasis also being placed on bringing sporting facilities closer to communities.
“We are building neighbourhood facilities and supporting state governments all across the country that are building and revamping sports infrastructure. We must create opportunities for communities to have access to these facilities,” he said.
Olopade also highlighted the growing role of women in sports administration, citing the Nigeria Netball Federation as an example of increased female participation in leadership.
“Our netball federation has a female president and nine of our 13 board members are women. The sport is making history in Nigeria, and we will give them all the support they need,” he said.
The Nigerian netball team is currently competing at the Africa Netball Cup and the qualifiers for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Nairobi, Kenya.
Olopade further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to D’Tigress following their recent success in African basketball, noting that the national women’s team has received assurances of continued support.
“Even in basketball, we have reassured D’Tigress that they have our full support. President Bola Tinubu has redeemed the nation’s $100,000 promise to each player, and we believe they will continue to rule Africa, as we remain committed to our women’s teams in every sport,” he said.
The NSC director general said his approach to sports administration is focused on building for the future rather than dwelling on previous shortcomings.
“Look, I am a pathological optimist. I refuse to dwell on the failures of the past. And if I should stop dwelling on the failure of the past, you cannot judge today’s trajectories on the past failures,” Olopade added.
He said the broader objective is to reshape Nigerian sports around athlete welfare, grassroots access, infrastructure and development, ensuring that sporting opportunities extend beyond elite competitions to communities and young athletes across the country.
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