By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA– The national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, was honored on Monday with a special reception at the State House Banquet Hall, where President Bola Tinubu showered the team with prestigious national honours, cash rewards, and housing. The reception, hosted by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima on behalf of the President, celebrated the team’s fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title.
Vice President Shettima announced the presidential largesse, stating that President Tinubu has conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all players and the 11-man technical crew. In addition, each of the players was gifted $100,000, while each member of the coaching and technical staff received $50,000. Furthermore, every member of the team and the coaching staff will be allocated a three-bedroom flat at the Renewed Hope Estate in Abuja.
The recognition follows D’Tigress’s dominant victory over Mali in the AfroBasket final in Abidjan, a 78-64 win that secured their seventh overall title and extended their unbroken winning streak to 29 games, beginning in 2017. The victory also qualified Nigeria for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
In his remarks, Vice President Shettima hailed the team as a “shining example of the nation’s talent, resilience, and unity,” praising their poise and spirit on the court. He celebrated the continued excellence of Nigerian women in sports, noting, “You have shown the world that when opportunity meets preparation, Nigerian excellence is inevitable.”
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who also attended the reception alongside the Second Lady, Hajiya Nana Shettima, expressed “a deep sense of pride and joy,” adding that the victory serves as a powerful inspiration for young Nigerian girls. She commended Head Coach Rena Wakama for her leadership and singled out player Dr. Sarah Goke, who is a full-time surgeon and new mother, for her remarkable dedication.
Speaking on behalf of the team, tournament Most Valuable Player Amy Okonkwo expressed profound gratitude for the reception and the honor of representing Nigeria. “It means the world to us to be able to be hosted here today and to be able to represent our country in this way, to bring back another championship, to be able to inspire young women, young girls around the world,” she said.
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, praised the victory as a significant milestone for women’s sports, acknowledging Coach Rena Wakama’s leadership in “shattering glass ceilings.” He pledged continued reforms to build a sustainable sports ecosystem, ensuring that every young Nigerian has a chance to achieve greatness. Sources