Coalition Petitions Tinubu, First Lady Over Alleged Poor Treatment Of Super Falcons

The Reform Our Football Coalition has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, over what it described as the continued poor treatment of Nigeria’s senior women’s national football team, the Super Falcons.

The coalition warned that the team’s preparations for the forthcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which also serves as an African qualification event for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, were being undermined by neglect, poor planning and administrative shortcomings.

In separate letters dated April 27, 2026, and addressed to both the President and the First Lady, the group alleged that the Super Falcons had continued to suffer from inadequate welfare, poor scheduling of international engagements and a lack of institutional support despite being Africa’s most successful women’s football team.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, the coalition’s General Secretary, Kemi Yesufu, said the players had endured years of hardship in silence, out of fear of victimisation or exclusion from the national team.

According to her, the coalition decided to publicly intervene because the players were “silently crying for help”.

“We call on the mother of the nation, our indefatigable First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to come to the aid of the Super Falcons,” Yesufu said.

“We plead with her to draw the attention of Mr President to the plight of these players, who continue to represent Nigeria with pride despite enormous challenges. They deserve to be treated as national heroines and patriots.”

Yesufu further accused football authorities of wasting international windows that should ordinarily be used to organise quality friendly matches and strengthen the team ahead of major competitions.

The coalition described the situation as a systemic failure that could lead to a disappointing outing for the Super Falcons at the next WAFCON tournament.

Beyond the concerns surrounding the women’s national team, the coalition also used the occasion to renew calls for sweeping reforms within the Nigeria Football Federation.

According to Yesufu, the group is advocating a five-point reform agenda to restructure Nigerian football administration and restore transparency and accountability within the system.

At the top of the list is a proposed review of the NFF statutes and electoral structure to accommodate broader representation from stakeholders across Nigerian football.

The coalition argued that former players, coaches, referees, supporters’ groups, professional and amateur league representatives, members of the media, sports administrators and anti-corruption organisations should all have a greater role in the decision-making process.

“We need a more inclusive and transparent football governance structure,” Yesufu stated.

“The current arrangement does not adequately represent the wider football community, and that has contributed significantly to the stagnation we are witnessing.”

The coalition also expressed concern about the decline of Nigeria’s age-grade football teams, noting that once-dominant sides such as the Nigeria national under-17 and under-20 football teams had struggled to maintain their historic standards.

Yesufu lamented that Nigeria’s football development structure had virtually collapsed, adding that poor grassroots planning had contributed to the struggles of the senior national teams in recent years.

“Our age-grade football has practically gone into a coma,” she said.

“The Golden Eaglets, who were once world champions, now struggle to qualify for tournaments they used to dominate. The same problems affect the Flying Eagles and even the Olympic teams.”

The coalition further criticised what it called the opaque process used in appointing national team coaches.

It questioned the criteria used to select coaches and accused football authorities of operating in the absence of transparency.

The group also raised concerns about the continued appointment of male coaches to female national teams despite growing global advocacy for more women to lead women’s football programmes.

According to Yesufu, Nigeria’s female teams across the U-17, U-20 and senior levels are still largely managed by men, contrary to international trends encouraging greater female representation in coaching.

On financial accountability, the coalition demanded greater transparency regarding funds received from FIFA and other football development bodies.

The group alleged that despite huge financial inflows into Nigerian football, players and coaches were still frequently owed salaries, bonuses and allowances.

“All we ever hear about are funds released by FIFA for football development, but Nigerians are rarely told how these resources are utilised,” Yesufu said.

“It is unacceptable that players are still owed for long periods while football administrators continue to live extravagantly.”

The coalition maintained that its demands were not politically motivated but were aimed at rescuing Nigerian football from further decline.

It added that peaceful advocacy and sustained public engagement remained necessary to ensure accountability and meaningful reforms within the country’s football administration.