Super Falcons captain and forward, Rasheedat Ajibade, has voiced her disappointment over the prolonged delay in the payment of allowances and bonuses promised to Nigeria’s senior women’s football team.
Speaking in a forthcoming episode of With Chude, hosted by media personality Chude Jideonwo, Ajibade revealed that neither she nor her teammates have received the pledged $100,000 reward and other entitlements announced by the Federal Government following their historic victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
“We have not received our money oo. Please, they have not paid. All the promises you heard back and forth, we have not received anything,” Ajibade said.
According to her, the players were informed that the funds had been allocated, yet no payments have been made. “People are begging. We have not received it. When they pay it, you will see. Even our match bonuses and everything… everything is still a work in progress,” she added.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu announced a $100,000 cash reward for each player, alongside other bonuses, in appreciation of the team’s record-extending 10th WAFCON title. The gesture was widely celebrated at the time, but over a year later, the players are still waiting for the funds to hit their accounts.
Ajibade also shed light on her personal struggles, recalling that she spent a decade at FC Robo Queens in the Nigeria Women’s Football League without earning a salary. Growing up in Mushin, Lagos, in a compound housing nearly 100 people, she said she resorted to washing toilets and bathrooms to make money.
Despite these hardships, Ajibade’s talent shone through. She moved from FC Robo Queens to Avaldsnes IL in Norway at just 17 years old before joining Spanish giants Atlético Madrid Femenino in 2021, where she currently plies her trade.
