The chairman of Nigeria’s National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, has disclosed that he hopes to soon present the country’s men’s basketball national team, D’Tigers as African champions.
Sports247 reports that D’Tigers are set to compete in Luanda, Angola for this year’s African Men’s Senior Basketball Championship, and Dikko is optimistic that they will return home with the trophy after the final on August 24th.
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The NSC boss further expressed hope that the recent feat of a fifth straight Women’s AfroBasket title achieved by the female squad, D’Tigress, will inspire the men to keep Nigeria’s winning streak going later this month.
He charged D’Tigers to emulate what the women have done and praised D’Tigress for pulling off a historic fifth straight conquest of the female championship and seventh overall, while pointing out that the Super Falcons also recently won a 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy as well.
Shehu Dikko posited, “This is a remarkable and defining moment; more so for Nigerian women in sports. From the football pitch to the basketball court, they continue to lead from the front.
“(They are) lifting our spirit while also raising our national profile with consistent performances and undiluted patriotism. They remind us that when Nigerian women step unto the global stage, they do not just compete, they conquer.”
The NSC’s boss buttressed that the victory achieved by D’Tigress against Mali during Sunday’s final at Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire was effectual and symbolic in many dimensions.
He added, “Sunday’s victory was significant not only for the title itself but for what it represents. With this latest triumph, Nigeria became the first African team to qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.”
He then concluded by turning attention on the upcoming outing by D’Tigers in the make equivalent of AfroBasket 2025, which begins next Tuesday in Lusnda, Angola.
“D’Tigers will be commencing their own AfroBasket Championship in Angola, and we hope to present them to you after the tournament with another trophy, God willing,” Shehu Dikko enthused.
Sports247 gathered that Nigeria, with only one title at this level, is in Group B alongside three-time winners and defending champions, Tunisia, as well as Cameroon and Madagsscar, who D’Tigers will face next week Wednesday in their first match.
