Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Southern Nigeria has promised to gift each player of the Rivers United Football Club $20,000 for winning this year’s Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) title.
Gatekeepers News reports that Governor Wike also said the team will be sponsored on a two-week all-expense trip to Madrid, Spain to prepare for the forthcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) Championship.
The Governor announced this at the reception in honour of all the players and club officials on Thursday at the State Government House in Port Harcourt, following the feat that saw them finish at the top of the league with a record 77 points from 38 games.
Wike, who officially received the trophy from the club, said players will be decorated with the prestigious Governor’s Medal Service Award for their feat.
The Governor said, “Each of you will be given the Governor’s Medal Service Award first. All the players and management team, you are now going to have Governors Medal Service Award (GMSA) at the end of your name.
“The Commissioner of Sports should make sure that all of you will go to Madrid for two weeks and train. You know Madrid is where you can get the best team. You go there for two weeks, prepare with other clubs to enable you to prepare for the forthcoming CAF competition.
“All playing all these matches, you have one kind of pain and this, something should be able to push on. Each of you will go home with 20,000 dollars.”
Governor Wike further revealed plans to give each player $40,000 (N16 million) should they go past the group stages of the CAF Champions League.
By the virtue of finishing first in the NPFL, the team automatically qualified as Nigeria’s representative for next season’s Champions League, with runners-up Plateau United, picking the season ticket.
Third-placed Remo Stars will represent Nigeria in the CAF Confederations Cup, with the winner of the 2022 AITEO Cup, picking up the final ticket
