FG pays $100,000 each to D’Tigress players after fifth Afrobasket title

The Federal Government has paid the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each player of Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, as part of the Presidential Reward for winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.

Each member of the team’s technical and support staff also received the naira equivalent of $50,000, according to the National Sports Commission (NSC).

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The payments were made on 9 September 2026, with the commission confirming that all players and officials had received the funds.

D’Tigress won the Women’s Afrobasket title for a record fifth consecutive time and seventh overall in 2025, prompting President Bola Tinubu to announce a package of rewards for the team.

The NSC said the latest payments completed all components of the presidential reward promised to the players and officials.

In a statement signed by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Kehinde Ajayi, the commission said the package included three-bedroom apartments in Abuja, national honours of the Order of the Niger (OON), and cash payments of $100,000 for each player and $50,000 for each official.

The players and officials received title documents for their Abuja apartments and certificates confirming their national honours in February 2026 during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Lyon, France.

The NSC said the documents were duly signed by President Tinubu, while the cash component was completed following D’Tigress’ participation in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.

The commission also provided an update on the Presidential Rewards promised to the Super Falcons, saying members of Nigeria’s senior women’s football team had already received title documents for their three-bedroom apartments and certificates of national honours.

The Falcons received those documents during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in July and August 2026. Their cash rewards, which are the same as those approved for D’Tigress, are expected to be paid before their next official engagements.

The NSC said the reward programme reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerian athletes and recognising their achievements.

“This unprecedented rewards to the players and athletes by the Federal Government of Nigeria is in alignment with the Renewed Hope initiative and Shared Prosperity agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR which places athletes’ welfare and appropriate rewards top on the priority list,” the statement said.

The commission thanked President Tinubu for his support for Nigerian sports and also acknowledged the Ministries of Finance, the Federal Capital Territory, Housing and Urban Development, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, as well as the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for their roles in implementing the reward package.

The NSC said the collaboration enabled the presidential rewards to be delivered “in record time within the due process requirements.”