Members of the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, were all smiles on Sunday after beating Mali 78-64 to win their fifth consecutive AfroBasket title. It was the final of the championship in Abidjan and the girls felt that their win has brought them enough riches, including a three-bedroom bungalow each, a naira equivalent of $100, 000 each and national honour.
Their optimism stemmed from the precedent set by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week when he rewarded the Super Falcons the same way for wining their 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Even before Sunday’s final, the girls had started practicing what they termed $100,000 dance in anticipation of what would be their lot at the end of the championship.
Before the final game, the Presidency had sent a congratulatory message to the girls over their semifinal defeat of Senegal and urged them to go the whole hog by winning the title.
The Presidency also sent a powerful delegation to Abidjan to cheer the girls to victory.
Led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, the Presidency said that the team of senior government officials represented ‘the full weight of our national pride, belief, and support.’
Also in the presidential delegation were chairman, House Committee on Sports, Kabiru Mai Palace; Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman; Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hamatu Musawa; Minister of State, Finance, Doris Uzoka Anite; Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Sunday Dare; Senior Special Assistant on Digital Communications, Engagement and New Media Strategy, O’Tega Ogra; Senior Special Assistant to the President (Office of the Chief of Staff), Oyinade Nathan-Marsh and Senior Special Assistant to the President (Office of the First Lady), Kukoyi Olubosola.
