Why Nigeria promised its women’s basketball team new apartments

Players on Nigeria’s female basketball team will receive a cash reward of $100,000 each and a three-bedroom apartment following their win at the Fiba Women’s AfroBasket Championship. That comes just weeks after Nigeria’s women’s football team, the Super Falcons, were promised a similar award after winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

President Bola Tinubu says the women are deserving of the recognition because they have inspired Nigerians to dream big and brought honour to the West African country. But reaction to the cash prize has been mixed, with some saying such rewards are unsustainable given the country’s economic difficulties.

Mansur Abubakar, a BBC reporter in Abuja, tells us about the government’s promises and describes the apartments in more detail. We also get reactions from Nigerian basketball fans. And William from the What in the World team tells us about the various incentives — from cash to cows — that other countries have offered athletes.

BBC