What appears to be unfolding here is sportswashing – part of the administration’s broader campaign of reputation laundering. Sportswashing refers to the strategic use of sporting activities or events to divert focus from unethical behaviour, damaging news, or unfavourable public opinion. It involves a calculated effort by an organisation, government, or other entity to leverage the appeal and influence of sports to neutralise criticism and overshadow negative narratives.
Following the Super Falcons’ (Nigeria’s women’s football team’s) historic achievement of securing their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title – defeating host Morocco 3–2 in a gruelling final – on 26 July, national pride remained high. Barely a week later, the jubilation was renewed when D’Tigress, Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, retained their AfroBasket crown on 3 August in Côte d’Ivoire. These back-to-back victories within such a short span reinforced Nigeria’s unrivalled position in African women’s football and, more recently, in basketball.
While hosting the Falcons at the presidential residence (Aso Rock) in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu praised the ladies, bestowing on the players and officials the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), and pledging gifts and cash rewards, including the naira equivalent of $100,000 and a three-bedroom apartment for each of the 24 players, in addition to $50,000 and a three-bedroom apartment for each of the 11 team officials. This sparked ecstasy and jubilation among the gallant women and their technical team. Tinubu asserted that the victory underscored a “triumph of courage, determination, and consistency,” adding, “Today, you returned home as champions of Africa. We could not be prouder.” Team captain Rasheedat Ajibade said the victory was for “every young girl in our villages, towns, and cities who dares to dream.”
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In a similar fashion, Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, hosted a celebratory event for D’Tigress, conferring the same national honours, and pledging the same gifts and cash rewards as he did with the Falcons. This was to appreciate the team for their fifth consecutive trophy after defeating Mali 75–68 in a hard-fought final. Commending the team, Tinubu said, “You have conquered Africa and opened the door to global greatness.” Stressing the fighting spirit and resilience of the players, he described the game as “a powerful statement of Nigerian resilience, tactical excellence, and national pride.” He further noted that: “You fought back from behind in the first quarter, not with panic but poise. You wore the green and white, not just as colours, but as a symbol of conviction and hope. And now, you wear the crown as queens of African basketball for the fifth consecutive time.”
More importantly, Tinubu stressed his administration’s commitment to sports as part of efforts to achieve economic development. He emphasised that “… under this administration, we are repositioning sports as a key pillar of our national development strategy and economic drive. Sport is not merely entertainment. It is infrastructure, education, diplomacy, and a powerful tool for youth employment, economic transformation, and global engagement.”
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It is thus doubtful that the Nigerian government is serious about deploying sports as a vehicle for national development. These recent celebrations evoke a sense of déjà vu, as the Nigerian men’s football team, the Super Eagles, was awarded similar honours and gifts after emerging as runner-up in the 2023 AFCON (held in 2024), losing to host Côte d’Ivoire.
Indeed, sports serve as a veritable tool to enhance national cohesion and promote development, while potentially boosting a country’s image through the intersection of sport, politics, and diplomacy. However, in light of the country’s enduring domestic challenges – including insecurity, poverty, high unemployment, high inflation, a weak naira, and political corruption – the picture is less optimistic. While these challenges preceded the Tinubu administration, they have accelerated at breakneck speed. These are the direct consequences of Tinubu’s neo-liberal policies – such as removing the petrol subsidy, cutting electricity subsidies, and devaluing the currency – which may benefit the economy in the long run. Yet, in the absence of safety nets, some poor Nigerians may face hunger, while the middle class risks erosion long before any potential long-term gains are realised.
It is thus doubtful that the Nigerian government is serious about deploying sports as a vehicle for national development. These recent celebrations evoke a sense of déjà vu, as the Nigerian men’s football team, the Super Eagles, was awarded similar honours and gifts after emerging as runner-up in the 2023 AFCON (held in 2024), losing to host Côte d’Ivoire. While the Super Falcons and D’Tigress won their respective tournaments, it is unfathomable why such a spectacle would be organised for a team that fell short of winning a trophy.
What appears to be unfolding here is sportswashing – part of the administration’s broader campaign of reputation laundering. Sportswashing refers to the strategic use of sporting activities or events to divert focus from unethical behaviour, damaging news, or unfavourable public opinion. It involves a calculated effort by an organisation, government, or other entity to leverage the appeal and influence of sports to neutralise criticism and overshadow negative narratives. The ultimate goal is to enhance the entity’s image by capitalising on sport’s widespread popularity to effectively “cleanse” its tarnished reputation.
Responding to criticisms following the government’s generous rewards to the Falcons, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said: “When you remember that Multichoice, the organiser of the BBNaija reality show, is offering the winner ₦150 million grand prize, you wonder why some Nigerians are unappreciative of President Tinubu’s rewards to the Super Falcons. President Tinubu has rewarded excellence, creativity, hard work, soccer artistry, and the undying Nigerian spirit.” The weak and unimaginative comparison between BBNaija and the Super Falcons’ feat exposes the naivety of some government officials in their approach to governance.
For analysts like me who engage in Nigerian foreign policy and regional hegemony, we have watched with disappointment and frustration as Nigeria has slipped from being Africa’s largest economy – a status it had largely enjoyed since 2014 – to the fourth largest, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria, under Tinubu’s administration.
A case in point in the broader reputation laundering is the administration’s decision to revert to a colonially inspired national anthem introduced after Nigeria’s independence in 1960, later replaced in 1978 by an indigenously composed anthem. For a country well respected across the globe for its pan-African credentials, this decision was not only criticised domestically but it also drew the ire of other African states.
For analysts like me who engage in Nigerian foreign policy and regional hegemony, we have watched with disappointment and frustration as Nigeria has slipped from being Africa’s largest economy – a status it had largely enjoyed since 2014 – to the fourth largest, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria, under Tinubu’s administration. This decline is compounded by a weak naira that has contributed to the rising national debt crisis, which the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) pegged at ₦134.30 trillion (US$91.35 billion) in the second quarter of 2024. The removal of the petrol subsidy, reductions in electricity subsidies, and currency devaluations have collectively triggered the most severe cost-of-living crisis in decades, with inflation reaching over 29 per cent in early 2024, according to the NBS.
Given this self-inflicted predicament, the Tinubu government appears to have resorted to sportswashing and reputation laundering in a bid to polish its tarnished image.
Oluwaseun Tella is Head of the Future of Diplomacy at the University of Johannesburg’s Institute for the Future of Knowledge in South Africa.
