Sports
2012 AFCON: How Nigerians Pay For National Team
As shock qualifiers Niger took on co-hosts Gabon in their first game in the Africa Cup of Nation finals, it has been a bitter-sweet feeling for the people of Niger. Football fan or not, they are helping to foot the bill for the Mena’s maiden tournament – every time they use their mobile phones.
Back in September Niamey’s General Seyni Kountche stadium erupted into joy as Koffi Dan Kowa and star striker Moussa Maazou scored the two goals that helped Niger to a shock 2-1 win over South Africa and ultimately sent them to their continent’s most prestigious tournament for the very first time.
Few of the 35,000 spectators watching that day probably realised that victory would also add 10 CFA francs to the cost of each minute they spend on their mobile phones.
It will fund some of the $5million (£3.8million) that taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations is expected to cost the Mena, the local Hausa name for the Dama gazelle, which features on Niger’s football strip.
The tax, which ran from 25 December until 25 January, is a significant burden given that the average cost of a minute’s call is 100 CFA francs.
Football is of course a global sport of riches, the international governing body FIFA gives all members $250,000 a year and in January 2011 even paid out a $300,000 bonus to each, but that does not go far when for every other game you have to travel huge distances across a vast continent.
So should some of the global game’s huge resources be made available to spare Nigerien mobile phone users an extra burden?
The Vice-President of Niger’s Football Federation, Colonel Ibrahim Yakubu, is adamant that his country “doesn’t want the charity of Caf, all we want is respect”.
To raise a reported $130million over eight years the regional Confederation of African Football (CAF) even sold the naming rights to its showpiece competition.
It is part of a deal, which ironically for Niger’s four million subscribers (25 per cent of the population), has been struck with the mobile phone company Orange.
The company stresses that the new tax and its involvement with the Cup of Nations are not related, adding that it also sponsors the Nigerien national federation.
Col Yakubu says the federation had not asked anyone for extra money and did not believe CAF or FIFA would give it anything anyway.
“If it’s a team for the people they should contribute,” he adds, promising that in return the players “will try to give their maximum” despite having to get by on the smallest budget of all the teams who have qualified for the finals. The new tax has of course divided public opinion.
The Mena are this tournament’s surprise qualifiers – and, coming from one of the poorer countries, have to survive on the smallest team budget
International aid agencies, such as UNICEF, are warning of an impending food crisis in Niger, which already languishes at second to bottom of the UN development ranking of countries.
So it is little surprise that, the government, according to Col Yakubu has “lots of things” to spend money on and simply cannot afford to pay the full cost itself.
So what exactly will the new tax fund?
The Nigerien Football Federation said that the money raised will be added to private donations and a small contribution from the government to meet the accommodation and food bill in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
It will also pay for transport costs, including the two planes that have taken the Mena on this journey of a lifetime.
Additionally there will be some modest financial rewards for the 23 players, seven of whom play in the amateur domestic league. Of those that play abroad in countries as diverse as Belgium, Thailand and South Africa none earn huge sums of money.
The pride they have given their countrymen after qualifying against the odds is worthy of recognition, according to Col Yakubu.
In a country where World Bank figures show the average income is about $1 a day, questions are being asked as to whether this is the best way to pay for their team’s participation.
Niger has benefited from millions of dollars’ worth of debt relief and so good governance, the tax system included, is seen as essential by much of the international community.
Children play football in the streets of Harovanda, a lower class neighborhood of Niamey, on September 11, 2012. Qualification could inspire of generation of footballers from Niger
One mobile phone industry source admitted that the new tax was “not a favourable approach” and could be “detrimental” to the industry, especially as it raises fears of customers being taxed for other short term projects.
Mahaman Tidjani Alou, a professor of political science at Niamey’s state-funded Abdou Moumouni University, argues that there is nothing to worry about.
“For me, it’ll all depend on how this money is going to be used,” he says.
“If it’s used for other purposes, this will be a dangerous way of going about it,” he says, adding that civic society groups are already calling for an audit once the tournament is over.
But it is not just about ensuring that every cent is spent properly in such a poor country as landlocked Niger.
There is also the danger that such a tax could dent economic growth in the country where the mobile phone is expected to play a significant role in raising living standards.
A recent International Monetary Fund working paper suggests that for every 10 per cent of people with a mobile phone there is likely to be a 0.7 per cent growth in the economy. The global trade body for mobile phone operators, the GSM Association, puts this figure even higher – at 1.2 per cent.
Of course the better Niger does in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea the less controversial their finances will be. The Mena lost their opening match 0-2 to Gabon.
Col Yakubu would not be surprised if once again they exceed expectations. He says that “Niger can win because its football and any team can win, that’s the beauty of football”.
The 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist spoke to Tidesports source her desire to defend her para singles title in the women’s category and to also secure a qualification berth for both the regional West Africa para table tennis event in Abeokuta in September and the continental championship billed to hold in Cairo, Egypt in November.
The multiple Paralympian said, “My expectation is to come out great at this wonderful tournament and to qualify for the forthcoming tournament that is coming up in Nigeria and Egypt in September and November. Last tournament, I won the singles. I won three golds at the last ValueJet tournament. And I want to believe and hope that I will maintain my position by coming in first position.”
Ugwueke had featured in the para event at the 56th Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championships, held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in January, where she suffered a stunning defeat to eventual finalist and tournament runner-up Taiye Oyinloye, who in turn was beaten 3-1 (11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9) by Commonwealth Games medallist, Kate Oputa, to become the women’s class 1-5 champion.
The ValueJet Lagos Para table tennis Open, which is in its seventh edition, is an event sanctioned by the governing body ITTF Africa and put together by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation in partnership with Lagos State Sports Commission.
The event will come to a close on July 11, with the competition serving as qualifiers for the country’s players for the regional tournament in Abeokuta.
A total of 98 athletes—57 men and 41 women—from Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo are competing in the singles events.
Notable performances have come from Alabi, Agunbiade, Ogunkunle, and Commonwealth Games medallists Kate Oputa and Faith Obazuaye, who have showcased their class against emerging talents across various classifications.
Their presence has intensified the battle for podium finishes, with top seeds asserting dominance in their respective singles events.
The AIU announced in the June 2025 sanctions list on July 1 that 21-year-old quarter-miler Uko was found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation committed on June 5 2024. Her infraction falls under whereabouts failures, having missed three tests within a 12-month period.
The AIU confirmed that her period of ineligibility will run until 23 July 2026 and all results recorded from the date of the infraction have been officially disqualified.
Uko rose to fame after clinching three gold medals at the 2021 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi, winning the women’s 400 metres, 4x400m relay, and the mixed 4x400m relay.
Stephen Eloji (June 2028)
Sprinter and hurdler Stephen Eloji tested positive for dehydrochloromethyl-
The 25-year-old was active in the American collegiate circuit, recording strong performances in the 110m hurdles and relay events as recently as April 2024, including at the Pepsi Florida Relays and Music City Challenge.
Ada Princess Bright (September 2027)
Ada Princess Bright is serving a four-year ineligibility period after testing positive for Metenolone during the National Athletics Trials held on July 6 2023 in Benin City.
She had an active season prior to her suspension, competing in national meets in Lagos, Uyo, and Benin, and earning a relay gold at the African U20 Championships in Ndola, Zambia.
Grace Nwokocha (August 2025)
Nwokocha is serving a three-year ban after testing positive for SARMS substances including Ostarine and Ligandrol during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The fallout was significant, as Nigeria was stripped of its women’s 4x100m relay gold medal at the Games. Prior to her suspension, she had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, posted a personal best of 11.00s in the 100m, and reached the semi-finals in the 100m and 200m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. She is ineligible to compete until 2 August 2025.
Yinka Ajayi (January 2030)
Ajayi, a 400m specialist and one-time Olympic representative, is currently serving an extended eight-year ban for multiple anti-doping violations.
The first sanction, issued after she tested positive for Metenolone in an out-of-competition test in Iowa, USA, led to a four-year ban starting in December 2021. However, further findings of tampering led to an additional four-year penalty in 2024, extending her suspension until January 25 2030.
Glory Okon (January 2026)
Glory Okon is serving a four-year ban for testing positive for Metenolone following an out-of-competition test conducted on December 2 2021 in Nigeria.
She previously won gold in the 400 metres at the 2019 African U-20 Championships in Abidjan and featured prominently at the 2021 National Sports Festival in Benin City.
Blessing Okagbare (July 2031)
Once the face of Nigerian athletics, Okagbare is now serving a 10-year ban following multiple anti-doping rule violations. She tested positive for human growth hormone and EPO in an out-of-competition test in June 2021.
Her suspension came while competing at the Tokyo Olympics and was announced in February 2022. It was later extended by an additional year in June 2022 due to further breaches.
Divine Oduduru (February 2029)
Oduduru’s career was derailed by anti-doping violations linked to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On October 12 2023, a Disciplinary Tribunal of the AIU imposed a six-year ban on Oduduru after he was found guilty of possessing and attempting to use prohibited substances and methods. The case stemmed from the wider investigation into Eric Lira, the first individual convicted under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, who supplied banned substances to athletes, including Okagbare, ahead of the Tokyo Games.
Oduduru’s ban is effective from February 9, 2023 and will run until February 8, 2029.
Henry Azike (Lifetime ban)
Azike is one of two Nigerian athletes currently serving a lifetime ban after testing positive for Metenolone, an anabolic steroid. His case was classified as a second ADRV, automatically triggering a lifetime suspension from the sport.
Azike last competed in 2011, including at the Doha Amir Cup and Nigerian Championships in Calabar.
Vivian Chukwuemeka (Lifetime ban)
Two-time Olympian and African shot put record holder Vivian Chukwuemeka is serving a lifetime ban for a second doping offence after testing positive for Stanozolol at the 2012 National Championships in Calabar.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games champion and multiple-time African gold medallist had previously served a two-year ban following a 2009 positive test. Her personal best of 18.43m remains the African record in women’s shot put.
Invited players into the Super Eagles B camp ahead of the rescheduled African Nations Championship tournament are feeling the pressure of selection, three days into their training camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The eighth CHAN tournament is taking place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda between August 2 to 20.
Ahead of the tournament, head coach Eric Chelle had invited an initial 35 players to camp and they began training on Monday with 21 players.
Five more players arrived on Tuesday to take the number to 26 while 28 players trained on Wednesday morning with the rest expected before the end of the week.
Captain of the team through the qualifiers, Junior Nduka, spoke about the intensity of the sessions and the jostle to make the final squad.
“Everybody is under pressure but definitely the coaches want the best among the 35 players,” Nduka said.
River United and former Flying Eagles forward, Aniekeme Okon, also admitted the pressure.
“It puts pressure on us, 35 players being invited, everybody is going to give out their best with an expectation of being selected. So we keep pushing.”
Ikorodu City defender, Leonard Ngenge also said, “Obviously, it puts everyone under pressure even myself. But I just need to do my best to be on the coaches’ radar.”
Nigeria, the 2018 runners-up, are in group D of the 19-team tournament, alongside Cup holders Senegal, Sudan and Congo.
The Super Eagles B will play their first two matches of the competition, against Senegal and Sudan, at the Amman Stadium on the island of Zanzibar, before taking on Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Nigeria has never won the tournament, having finished third at the 2014 edition in South Africa before losing the final against hosts Morocco four years later.