Yuletide: Super Falcons star Esther Okoronkwo gives cash gifts to Abia residents

File photo: Esther Okoronkwo

In a heart-warming display of generosity, Super Falcons striker Esther Okoronkwo revealed how she surprised residents of Abia State with cash gifts during this festive season.

In an Instagram video shared on Christmas Day, the professional footballer was captured handing out money to various people on the streets of her home state.

The video, which quickly circulated online, showed Okoronkwo, an Abia-born star who plays for a Canadian Northern Super League club, AFC Toronto, interacting with motorists, traders, shoppers, pedestrians, and bystanders in Umuahia.

Each person she encountered received a surprise cash gift, which she said was a bundle of N200,000.

“Merry Christmas,” her caption simply read.

The act of kindness comes after a stellar year for Okoronkwo, who was a key player in the Super Falcons’ triumphant 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

In July, she was crowned the Super Falcons’ Fans’ Player of the Tournament at the event, following a standout campaign that helped Nigeria win a record-extending 10th continental title.

Her performance at WAFCON, where she was named Woman of the Match in the final, earned her widespread commendation and a state honour from Abia State Governor Alex Otti.

Okoronkwo’s gesture is one of several instances of Nigerian celebrities giving back to their communities during the festive period, a trend that has seen millions in cash and goods distributed to those in need.