By Excellence Oseose
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to honour Nigeria’s U-17 female national team, the Flamingos, following their historic victory at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Flamingos made history on Saturday after defeating Japan 2-1 in the final in Rabat to clinch Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title and Africa’s maiden triumph in the competition.
The victory also makes Nigeria the first African country to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup in both the male and female categories.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, described the achievement as a testament to Nigeria’s resilient spirit, invoking the popular expression, “Naija no dey carry last.”
In a statement issued on Sunday by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr., the Speaker said the achievement demonstrated that Nigerians were born to break barriers and conquer territories.
“The House of Representatives is proud of the record-breaking feat of the female national team, as Nigerians have another reason to celebrate the country. I commend the Flamingos, the management and the crew for being patriotic to Nigeria and good ambassadors of the country on the global stage,” Abbas stated.
He urged the Federal Government to recognise and reward the young footballers, stressing the importance of celebrating Nigerians whose accomplishments bring honour to the country.
The Flamingos, under Head Coach Hakeem Busari, staged an impressive comeback after losing their opening match to emerge champions of the tournament.
Their triumph followed an outstanding regional campaign in which they won the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire, recording five victories from five matches.
At the World Cup, five different Nigerian players received Player of the Match awards, all emerging from the country’s domestic league system.
Oluebube Umejiaku also emerged as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, winning the adidas Golden Ball and scoring the decisive goal in the final.
The House congratulated the players, technical crew and management, wishing the team continued success.
