2016 Olympic Games: Victorious basketball team gets Buhari’s backing

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NIGERIA: VICTORIOUS Nigeria’s national basketball team, D’Tigers, on Monday got the assurance of President Muhammadu Buhari – that his administration would support the team ahead of their preparations for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio D Janeiro, Brazil.

The team, for the first time, won the 2015 edition of the African Basketball Championship held in Tunisia, beating the defending champions, Angola in the game many had predicted would no doubt be a tough match.

The men’s basketballers clinched the FIBA Afrobasket Championship with 74 to 65 points to snatch the trophy from Angola, FIBA Africa Champion that has won no fewer than 13 championships since the petroleum and diamond mining country debuted in the competition in 1989.

With the victory Sunday night victory, the team got automatic qualification to feature in the 2016 Olympic Games.

The president, who congratulated the team in a release by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Mr. Femi Adesina, praised the players “for displaying exemplary strength, courage, determination and patriotism as well as great skills and creativity to dethrone Angola, the perennial African basketball champions.”

“President Buhari urges members of the team and their handlers to work very hard to surpass their extraordinary heroics in Tunisia before a global audience at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro and bring even greater glory to Nigeria,” he said.

Buhari assured that his administration would give the team – and Nigeria’s other representatives at the next Olympic Games – “the fullest possible support to ensure that they are well prepared to excel against the champions of other countries and regions in Rio De Janeiro.”

Nigeria’s Chamberlain Oguchi, who scored 19 points for the team captained by Olumide Oyedeji, was voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

A highly elated Oguchi said after the match: “It’s the best moment of my life, to be able to come here after missing the last AfroBasket, to be able to come here and do this with my brothers, it feels amazing.”

“I’m happy to be able to share this moment with them and for me personally, it’s just really great,” the most valuable player added.