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Gbeminiyi Ogunleye
1 week ago
Overview
Afrobasket Fallout: Zenith Bank Rewards DTigress with N200m
Sponsors of the Women’s National Basketball League, Zenith Bank Plc, yesterday at a reception held at their Abuja head office, rolled out the drums for the victorious D’Tigress of Nigeria after the team secured a record-breaking fifth consecutive Afrobasket title. The bank rewarded the team with N200million.
D’Tigress, after beating Mali 78-64 in the final played in Abidjan on Sunday arrived the country on Monday afternoon and were hosted by President Bola Tinubu where they were rewarded with National Honours of OON and cash rewards.
Zenith Bank has been the sole sponsors of the women’s league for 18 years with some of the players who played in the competition part of the squad that won the competition for Nigeria in the five consecutive victories.
Murjanatu Musa, the MVP of the Air Warriors team that won the Zenith league title in 2022; Ifunnaya Okoro; and the current coach of the team, Rena Wakama, participated in the league as a player with First Bank Women’s Basketball team.
Present at the reception were some of Zenith Bank’s Executive Directors, who expressed their appreciation to the D’Tigress for making the country proud. They include; Adobi Nwapa, Akin Ogunranti, Henry Oroh and Louis Odom.
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, President of the NBBF, Musa Kida and some of his board members were also at the colourful event
While appreciating the D’Tigress for a job well done, the GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank, Dr Adaora Umeoji OON, said the outfit would continue to support the women’s basketball in Nigeria as they look forward to the team excelling at the world stage.
“Your victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket is not just a win for Nigeria, it is a win for African sports,” she said.
“At Zenith Bank, we celebrate your victory – not just as supporters, but as longstanding partners in the development of women’s basketball in Nigeria.
“I hereby reaffirm Zenith Bank’s steadfast commitment to advancing women’s basketball and promoting sports development across Nigeria.”
Responding to the kind gesture, the Captain of the team and the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 Afrobasket, Amy Okonkwo, on behalf of the team, appreciated the financial institution for doing a lot for women’s basketball development in the country.
