Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike (JP), has hailed the Nigerian national women’s basketball team, the D’Tigress, following their historic victory over their Malian counterparts in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Sunday.
Speaking with a group of sports journalists in Ilorin, Ejidike said, “This team has done what no other team in Africa has done, and therefore, deserves to be commended.” With that victory, the team surpassed Senegal’s record of four consecutive titles (1974-1981) by winning the title for the fifth consecutive time.
The Pillar of Sports commended the Tigresses for emulating their footballing counterparts, the Super Falcons, who have won their 10th WAFCON title out of a possible 13, underscoring Nigeria’s dominance in both sports.
It should be noted that after a nail-biting semifinal victory against Senegal on Saturday, where they won 75-68, the D’Tigress made quick work of Mali, winning 78-64 to clinch the historic fifth title. It is a record that will take years, if not decades, for any team to break.
The former President of the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN), while congratulating the team and their technical crew, urged the ladies to focus on extending their prowess to the global stage. He said this would consolidate their achievements at the last Olympic Games in Paris, where the coach Rena Wakama-tutored side reached the quarterfinals, becoming the first African team to do so. He also commended critical stakeholders, including the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) under the leadership of Engr. Musa Kida; the National Sports Commission (NSC), ably led by Mallam Shehu Dikko; and, above all, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for their words of encouragement and motivational gestures toward Nigerian athletes.
The Nnewi-born sports philanthropist opined that every move by the administration of President Tinubu and his team in the sports sector has been yielding nothing but positive results. He added that if Nigeria continues at this rate, the country will soon be among the top five nations in at least ten of the world’s most popular sports. He, therefore, urged the President not to relent in efforts to reposition sports, but instead to “keep his foot firmly hard on the accelerator” to change the narrative for the better.