After 402 Days, Tinubu Finally Pays D’Tigress $100k Cash

By Samuel Akpan

After a 402-day wait, members of the D’Tigress team have finally been paid.

On September 9, 2026, the Federal Government fulfilled President Bola Tinubu’s reward for their 2025 AfroBasket victory, crediting each player with the naira equivalent of $100,000.

The National Sports Commission and the recipients confirmed that funds hit the accounts of both players and officials on the same day, with officials receiving $50,000 equivalent each.

The cash was the last piece of a package promised after D’Tigress claimed a record fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title and seventh overall in 2025, cementing their hold on African women’s basketball.

The complete reward covered a three-bedroom apartment in Abuja, national honours as Officers of the Order of the Niger (OON), and the dollar-equivalent cash for players and the technical crew.

Players and officials had already collected title documents, including Certificates of Occupancy for the Abuja flats, and their honour certificates in February 2026.

In a statement, NSC Director of Information and Public Relations Kehinde Ajayi said every component of the presidential rewards has now been fully redeemed.

D’Tigress acknowledged the payment on Thursday with a short post on their official X account that simply read: “Presidential reward acknowledged.”

The commission said the rewards form part of the Federal Government’s drive to prioritise Nigerian athletes’ welfare and properly recognise outstanding sporting feats.

Super Falcons, promised the same package after winning the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, have already received their apartment title documents and national honours.

The Falcons’ cash component — naira equivalent of $100,000 each for players and $50,000 for officials — is expected to be paid before their next official engagements.

PerSecondNews recalls that President Tinubu first announced the $100,000 player bonus on August 4, 2025.

Vice President Kashim Shettima delivered the pledge while representing Tinubu at an Aso Rock reception honouring the team after emerging as champions of the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket in Côte d’Ivoire after a commanding 78-64 victory over Mali.

Led by head coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian side delivered a stellar performance at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan to secure their fifth straight continental crown — a feat no other nation has achieved in the tournament’s history.