Abiola Juwon, the assistant coach for Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has raised serious concerns over unpaid bonuses, accusing the country’s sports ministry of neglecting its financial obligations.
The D’Tigress made history at the 2024 Olympics, becoming the first African team to advance to the quarter-finals. However, this milestone has been overshadowed by reports of unpaid bonuses and mistreatment of both players and staff, as revealed by Coach Abiola Juwon.
In a series of Instagram posts on Wednesday night, Juwon detailed her grievances, alleging that the Nigerian authorities paid the players less than half of what was promised. She further disclosed that she and other assistant coaches had not received any bonuses, despite their repeated appeals to the sports ministry.
Juwon wrote, “To go to the Olympics and experience something my Father did with the USA was a dream. I wanted to be at the Opening Ceremony since I was 8 at the Atlanta Olympics, but Nigeria denied women’s basketball and then had the Minister tell us we are young enough to go to the next one.”
She continued by highlighting the tireless efforts of the assistant coaches, who worked diligently to ensure the team’s success. “Assistant Coaches put blood, sweat, and tears into making sure players accomplished history. To now lie and not pay your coaches for their work and want to keep my money for the 3 games before the Olympics because I work in the WNBA is sad.”
Juwon expressed her disappointment, noting that the players who were paid received less than the agreed-upon amount, while assistant coaches were left without any payment. “It is also sad that the Assistant coaches aren’t getting our money (that was promised) at all and are now being ignored. We made history… Give what was Promised,” she added.
Adding to the tension, Juwon revealed that the team’s head coach, Rena Wakama, was removed from the team’s WhatsApp group after repeatedly condemning the maltreatment of the staff. Juwon stated, “Asking for updates for over two weeks about payment of allowances and being ignored privately and in the group text… Is the solution to pay your assistant coaches their allowances for their work? Nope! Have the Head Coach remove you from the group chat.”
The situation has sparked outrage among Nigerians, who have called for the resignation of the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, following the country’s poor performance at the Paris Olympics. The government had previously expressed its deep disappointment, describing the team’s performance as a “disaster.”
Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, has also demanded Enoh’s immediate dismissal. Despite these calls, the minister has so far ignored the demands for his resignation.
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