Nigeria: Female footballers demand thousands in bonuses

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Nigeria’s national women football players stormed the country's parliament building Wednesday to protest non-payment of their allowance and bonuses following their victory at the recent 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations.

It was the eighth time the country's Super Falcons won the championship. They bested the Cameroonian female national team in the finals.

Clad in the official national jersey, the protesting footballers carried signs with messages such as “We are your children, pity us” and “We deserve respect; female football deserves respect,” among others.

The women are reportedly owed roughly $16,500 apiece as winning bonuses and allowances while only a paltry $2,000 have been paid by the nation’s football governing body, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The footballers also claim being owed money for the 2016 Olympic qualifiers, Africa's championship qualifiers, and 2015 All-Africa games.

The protest – apparently targeted at getting the government's attention – comes as President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to present the country's 2017 budget to a joint sitting of the Parliament in the capital city Abuja this week.