Nigeria’s women lifted the AfroBasket and Africa Cup of Nations titles this summer, but pay remains a dirty word.
As Nigerian women dominate sport on the continent, they’re facing off not just against top talent abroad but a domestic atmosphere of mismanagement and pay disparities – and even the risk of repression for speaking out.
Nigeria is fresh off a win at the finals of Women’s AfroBasket, their fifth-consecutive championship at the continent’s top hardwood basketball tournament, while last month the Super Falcons clinched their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) football title.
The football team’s successes, however, have come despite pay disparities compared with their male counterparts – when they are paid at all.
The women receive a training camp allowance, but the bulk of their pay comes from per-match bonuses, which vary depending on the team’s results.
