The women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, deserves more from corporate Nigeria in their march to bring glory to the country, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has said.
  
The NBBF expressed disappointment that despite the laudable achievements of the team, which are acknowledged across the world, getting quality sponsorship for the team has remained very challenging.
 
The Chairman of the NBBF Marketing Committee, Ugo Udezue, noted at the weekend that the federation is “deeply saddened by the way organisations in Nigeria treat the women’s team.”
 
He said: “Let’s move over to football first as I believe it will help us to understand the situation better. The Super Falcons are the most successful football team in Nigeria, but do they get real-time sponsorship? The answer is no, as we know the corporate world tilts exceptionally towards men.
 
“This is the case with D’Tigress, and this is even worse than imagined. Each time these ladies step out for a competition, they always leave there with a record. They have done well on the continent and at the world level. Let’s review their performance last year at the Olympics against the world’s greats. They finished well to the joy of Nigerians, but still, you have to keep introducing them to the corporate world like they are rookies.
 
“No, these are achievers. The only thing standing against them is that they are ladies, and they are a part of the so-called lesser sports in Nigeria.”
 
Udezue, who is also the CEO of AFA Sports, however, has good words for those who have gone the extra mile to make Nigerian ladies smile.
 
“On that note, we can never take for granted a company like Zenith Bank. They have been sponsors of women’s basketball in Nigeria for more than 20 years. That is awesome. And they are happy doing it.”
 
Praying that things would change for the better, Udezue said: “I was so happy with the performance of our ladies (D’Tigress) at the Olympics. I was not only excited by how close they were to getting a medal but I was certain that they had marketed themselves to corporate Nigeria very well. But here we are.
 
“D’Tigress team is a brand. I expect sponsors to chase them and not the other way. I just hope that someday, some people will see this team with the right perspective.”
 
On the “Homecoming Tournament” in Abuja featuring D’Tigress against Togo, Kenya, and some other top African teams, Udezue said that the event is deeply faced with sponsorship apathy despite huge efforts to raise the needed funds.
 
Lamenting that it was easier for the federation to raise funds for the men’s competition held two years ago at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, “when the men have not achieved a quarter of the ladies’ performance.”