Basketball: Buhari Splashes N17.5m On D’Tigress

Each player got N1,000,000 while 5 Coaching crew members got N500,000 only
Members of the 2017 Afrobasket winning women’s team, D’Tigress of Nigeria can go town to begin their Christmas shopping.

The President has redeemed his promise to reward the team after they became African Champions.

Each player got N1,000,000 (One million Naira) while 5 Coaching crew members got N500,000 (Five hundred thousand Naira) each.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung said sports in Nigeria is moving to greater heights under President Buhari.

“In Mr President’s usual way of showing appreciation to our sports men and women who made the nation proud, he received the team at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday August 30, 2017 during the Federal Executive meeting.

“History is made today as His Excellency, Mr President has fulfilled his promise to the heroic Afrobasket team by doling out the sum of One million Naira (N1,000,000) to each of the players and Five hundred thousand (500,000) to each of the officials totaling Seventeen million, five hundred thousand Naira (N17,500,000).”

The Vice President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation Babs Ogunade thanked the President for redeeming his promise but he was also quick to add that they need more going forward.

“Like Oliver Twist, we will always ask for more. As you are aware, we qualified for the World Cup in Spain next year and we are gearing up for that as well as the Commonwealth Games.

“We ask for the federal government’s support ahead of all these assignments although, we are also looking outward to get sponsorship so that we don’t put everything on the government.

“We however thank you so much and look forward to seeing that all these come to fruition,” Ogunade said.

Meanwhile, preparations are set to begin for the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup which holds in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain from 22 to 30 September 2018.