President Bola Tinubu has announced the completion of the Federal Government’s cash reward package for members of Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, saying the payment marked an unprecedented speed in fulfilling a presidential sporting pledge.
The President said on Thursday that each D’Tigress player had received the naira equivalent of $100,000, while officials received the equivalent of $50,000.
The National Sports Commission confirmed that the payments were credited to the accounts of the players and officials on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, with all recipients confirming receipt.
The payments complete the reward package announced by Tinubu after D’Tigress won the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The team defeated Mali 78-64 in the final on August 3, 2025, to claim a record fifth consecutive continental title and seventh overall.
At a presidential reception the following day, the Federal Government announced a package comprising $100,000 for each player, $50,000 for members of the coaching and technical team, three-bedroom flats in Abuja and the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON.
The housing and national honour components were subsequently delivered.
In March 2026, D’Tigress players and officials received certificates for their OON honours and title documents for their Abuja apartments during an event in Lyon, France, where the team was participating in the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.
The final cash payment has now brought the entire presidential reward package to completion.
Tinubu said the delay in releasing the cash component was caused by statutory processes rather than a lack of commitment to the pledge.
“We had to follow the processes required by law and ensure that every commitment was properly implemented. That took time, but a promise made must be a promise kept,” the President said.
He described the completion of the package as the first time, in his assessment, that a Federal Government had fulfilled a presidential sporting reward of that scale within one year.
The development comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns over delayed government promises to Nigerian athletes after major international victories.
Tinubu also provided an update on the rewards promised to the Super Falcons following their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Morocco in 2025.
The Falcons have received title documents for their three-bedroom Abuja apartments and certificates for their OON national honours, while their cash rewards are being concluded.
The President also said the promised houses and national honours for the Super Eagles had been redeemed.
“Our athletes who bring honour to Nigeria deserve more than applause. They deserve a country that keeps its word,” Tinubu said.
“My promise to every Nigerian athlete is: make Nigeria proud, and come back to a grateful nation.”
The latest payment effectively closes the financial aspect of one of the Federal Government’s most prominent sports reward pledges, more than a year after D’Tigress secured their historic AfroBasket triumph.
