Abiola Sopeju
President Bola Tinubu on Monday conferred national honours on members of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, following their historic fifth consecutive title win at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship.
During a presidential reception held in honour of the players at the State House, Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing the President, conferred the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) award on each player and member of the technical crew.
In addition to the honours, Tinubu approved financial rewards of the naira equivalent of $100,000 for each player, and $50,000 for the coach and technical staff. He also directed the allocation of one housing unit to each awardee.
The President commended D’Tigress for becoming the first African team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament, describing their recent 78–64 win against Mali as a symbol of “Nigerian resilience, tactical excellence, and national pride.”
Special recognition was given to Coach Rena Wakama, tournament MVP Amy Okonkwo, and top scorer Ezinne Kalu. Tinubu acknowledged Wakama’s impact on leadership in sports and hailed Nigerian women’s consistent excellence across athletics, football, and basketball.
He reiterated his administration’s plan to position sports as a strategic pillar of national development, emphasizing investment in infrastructure, youth engagement, and athlete welfare.
He highlighted the leadership and brilliance of key figures including Amy Okonkwo, Tournament MVP, whose performance lifted the entire squad, Eze Nekalu, top scorer in the final match, whose precision and energy pushed Nigeria