Yet another AfroBasket triumph

THESE are definitely happy times for Nigerian sports, particularly female games. First, it was the Super Falcons who, two goals behind, roused the never-say-die Nigerian spirit in them and subdued the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco, winning a record 10th WAFCON title. Then came the thrilling, soul-lifting triumph of Nigeria’s senior female basketball team, D’Tigress, who dared all odds to emerge champions at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament. The win came after a hard-fought semi-final against the tournament’s record title holders, Senegal. The Nigerian team defeated Mali to claim its fifth straight AfroBasket gold. D’Tigress had actually trailed Mali in the first quarter 21-26 of the match played at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Sunday, August 3. However,  knowing who they were and with their gaze firmly fixed on success and the history books, the Rena Wakama-led side put up a resilient display to claim the second and third quarters (20-15) respectively. In the fourth quarter, the defending champions really showed the stuff that champions are made of: they beat Mali 17-8, winning a total 78-64 points. They thus became the first team to win five consecutive trophies in the tournament. It was their seventh title overall.

Earlier in the day, tournament debutants South Sudan had claimed a historic bronze medal with a dramatic 66-65 win over 11-time champions Senegal in the third-place match. It was the first time a debutant had won a medal at the competition. D’Tigress’ triumph is indeed historic, as they had not lost a game in the tournament in 10 years: the last time they lost an AfroBasket game was on October 2, 2015, against Cameroon. Rena Wakama, who in 2023 became the first female coach to win the competition since its inception in 1966, now has two titles in two attempts. Also, with the win, the Nigerian queens booked their place at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament which will be held in Berlin, Germany.

Receiving the victorious team, President Bola Tinubu conferred national honours on all the players and the technical team. Speaking during the reception held at the Presidential Villa in their honour, President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, awarded each player and technical crew member the title of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). He also directed the allocation of a flat for each player, coach and technical crew member. That was not all: the President approved a cash award of the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each player, and $50,000 equivalent for the coach and each technical team member.

Praising the team for becoming the first African team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament, Tinubu said: “It is my profound honour and pleasure to welcome to the State House our remarkable Women’s National Basketball Team, D’Tigress—continental champions once more and now the first African team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament. You have conquered Africa and opened the door to global greatness. You fought back from behind in the first quarter, not with panic but poise. You wore the green and white not just as colours, but as a symbol of conviction and hope. And now, you wear the crown as queens of African basketball for the fifth consecutive time.”

President Tinubu particularly commended Coach Rena Wakama, saying, “To Coach Rena Wakama, you represent the evolution of leadership in Nigerian sports. Your quiet strength and historic achievements have shattered ceilings and inspired countless young girls nationwide, who now know that no dream is too bold for a Nigerian woman. Indeed, you deserved your award as the best coach in Africa and the world.” He also had special praise for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), Amy Okonkwo, and the top scorer in the final, Ezinne Kalu, saying, “To Amy Okonkwo, the tournament MVP, and Ezinne Kalu, top scorer in the final, your brilliance elevated the entire team. But more importantly, you did not play for yourselves. You played for and won with Nigeria. Let me take a moment to reflect on a greater truth. Nigerian women have never failed this nation in sports. From the Super Falcons standing tall on the world stage, to our athletes breaking records on the track, and D’Tigress building a basketball dynasty, our women have consistently made us proud. They have shown the world that when opportunity meets preparation, Nigerian excellence is inevitable.”

We salute the ladies. They have done Nigeria and Nigerians proud and deserve all the accolades that came their way. As we said while celebrating their August 5, 2023 triumph at the AfroBasket tournament held in Kigali, Rwanda, an occasion in which they had defeated Senegal 84-74 in the final in a huge shock to bookmakers who had given them unenthusiastic ratings because of the large number of ‘rookies’ in the team, over the years, Nigerian athletes in general, and not just the national women’s basketball team, have refused to be bogged down by the huge difficulties inherent in sports management in the country and put the world on notice of their raw talent and determination. D’Tigress have validated this submission once again. Again, in 2023, we urged the Federal Government to reward the team and the coaching crew handsomely as a way of encouraging them to do even more for the country going forward. We are happy to note that this has now been done and commend President Tinubu for heeding our call. The message has been communicated that Nigerian youths who excel in sports will be well rewarded, and it is up to them to strive to excel in sporting competitions. This, however, does not mean that the infrastructure and organisational lapses that still hobble Nigerian sports in general should not be addressed, and very decisively too.

The basketball queens brought honour to Nigeria and must be counted as a model to Nigeria’s vibrant, young population.  This is indeed happy time for women’s sports in Nigeria. We salute the golden girls and wish them greater successes in future competitions.

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