A faction of the Labour Party (LP) has faulted President Bola Tinubu for pledging financial rewards to the Super Falcons in United States dollars instead of naira.
On Monday, Tinubu conferred national honours on all members of the Super Falcons squad for winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The president also pledged the equivalent of $100,000 in naira to each of the 24 players and an additional $50,000 to members of the technical crew.
He added that each player and official in the team would also receive a three-bedroom apartment in the renewed hope estate in the federal capital territory (FCT).
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However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, Ken Asogwa, spokesperson for Nenadi Usman, interim national chairperson of the LP faction, said it was “utterly shameful” for Tinubu to elevate the dollar above the naira.
Asogwa said it was regrettable that “the nation’s foremost custodian and presumed chief ambassador of the Nigerian naira chose to reward our gallant Super Falcons in United States dollars.”
He described Tinubu’s comments as “nauseating and deeply unpatriotic,” noting that even if the president meant the naira equivalent, the symbolism of mentioning the dollar undermines confidence in Nigeria’s currency.
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“This act speaks volumes about the level of disdain and lack of faith this government has in the naira—the very symbol of our economic sovereignty,” Asogwa said.
“The Tinubu administration, having supervised the free fall of the naira—from an already precarious N500 to over N1,500 to the dollar—appears to have thrown in the towel.
“Perhaps, at this rate, we should expect the national budget to soon be presented in dollars, or worse still, in a basket of foreign currencies.
“It is no surprise, therefore, that the World Bank, in its latest review, listed the naira among the worst-performing currencies in Sub-Saharan Africa—depreciating by approximately 43% year-to-date.
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“This has been attributed to surging demand for the US dollar and eroded confidence in the naira, the very practice the president has been busy abetting.
“When the highest office in the land sets such a tone, what moral ground do we stand on to call on others to have faith in our currency? If this is not patriotism in reverse, then what is?”
The Super Falcons won Nigeria’s 10th WAFCON title on Saturday in Morocco.
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