‘Your victory is historic’ — FG hails D’Tigress over Afrobasket triumph

The federal government has congratulated D’Tigress for winning their fourth consecutive FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title. 

The team defeated Senegal 84-74 in the final of the 2023 Women’s Afrobasket on Saturday.

The victory makes Nigeria only the second African country ever to win the women’s Afrobasket title four times in a row.

In a statement on Sunday, Ismaila Abubakar, permanent secretary in the ministry of sports and youth development, said Nigerians are proud of  D’Tigress’ achievement.

“Your victory in Kigali is historic, especially as you have at one time waited for 12 years with no title to show for your efforts,” Abubakar said.

“Let me emphatically inform you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is proud of you and is congratulating you. Nigerians are proud of you.

“We are committed to the full implementation of all sporting policies, initiatives, programmes and projects for the empowerment of our teeming youth in line with the policy thrust of the present administration.”

Only Senegal, who won the biennial competition uninterruptedly from 1974 to 1981, had achieved a four-peat in the history of Women’s Afrobasket.

D’Tigress had won the previous three editions of the Women’s Afrobasket and remain unbeaten in every African competition.

The team won the 2017 trophy in Bamako and claimed the second title in Dakar, Senegal, in 2019, before completing the three-peat in Cameroon in 2021.