Governor Nyesom Wike has gifted a cash reward of $20,000 to each player of the Rivers United Football Club for winning this year’s Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) title.

Governor Wike has been a consistent promoter of sports and he is fondly called the Pillar of Sports in Africa.

He announced this at Government House, Port Harcourt where the players and club officials were treated to a reception on Thursday. Rivers United topped the league table with a record 77 points from 38 games.

He also revealed plans to gift each player $40,000 should they go past the group stages of the CAF Champions League.

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.

As part of the reward, the governor said the players will be sponsored on a two-week all-expense trip to Madrid, Spain to prepare for the forthcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) Championship.

“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 governor said.

“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.

“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.”

Rivers United automatically qualified as Nigeria’s representative in next season’s Champions League, with runners-up Plateau United, picking the second Champions League 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.