SportsBusiness: D’Tigress stars pocket $9,500 each from FG’s adopt-a-sport initiative

D’Tigress players have been paid the sum of $9,500 each from the Adopt-a-Sport initiative of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports development.

The players of the Nigeria women’s basketball team had in October protested against the alleged poor treatment being meted at them despite winning the 2021 Afrobasket Championship in Cameroon.

In a video posted on the team’s Instagram handle, some key players lamented how they are being owed allowances, bonuses and donations, and also being ignored rather than celebrated after their historic feat in Cameroon.

Ripples Nigeria went on to report how the Sports Ministry swiftly reacted to the protest by ordering the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to begin the payment of owed bonuses from the money raised by the Adopt A Sport initiative.

And in a statement released by the Ministry on Friday evening, it was stated that the players have gotten paid, with some already confirming receipt.

“Members of the D’Tigress, Nigeria’s national women basketball team have now received their part of the Adopt A Sport initiative payments,” the statement read

Read Also: D’Tigress to get owed entitlements as Sports Ministry orders CBN to begin payment

“Recall that the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development raised a sum of Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars($230,000) from four banks to boost the preparations of the nation’s basketball teams (men and women) ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

“Banking documents from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that each of the twelve D’Tigress players to the last Olympic Games in Tokyo have received $9,500 each.

“A number of the players have acknowledged receipt of these monies, while many of them have not confirmed. But documents show effective transfers.

“Checks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also revealed that the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF)’s domiciliary account had been debited to reflect payments to D’Tigress players, while the balance of the 130,000 USD remains for the men’s basketball players.

“The checks also reveal that the processes for these payments commenced on the 14th of October, 2021, about the same time the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development had assured the team that the fulfillment of the monetary obligations to them was in the works.”

The men’s basketball team are yet to receive their own payments.

Recall that both the men and women’s teams failed to go past the group stages of the Tokyo Olympic Games as they lost all three matches in their respective groups.

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