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At a jubilant presidential reception in Abuja, Nigerian women’s basketball standouts Ezenne Kalu and Amy Okoronkwo spoke movingly about the honour of representing their country after their recent championship triumph—emphasising pride, unity, and hope for the future of women’s sports in Nigeria.
“It was such a great welcome from the First Lady and the presidency, and all the amazing people here,” said Kalu, reflecting on the moment with deep gratitude. “It’s such a huge blessing to receive such an award at such a momentous time in women’s basketball. This is just an awakening for not just us, but for the younger generations to come.”
Kalu described the determination and teamwork that fueled their victory: “Honestly, every game was a fight. Every game was a war, but we turned it around. We came out at the end with the victory every chance, but stayed together. We fought like a family, and we worked hard, and all of our hard work came to fruition,” she said, highlighting the squad’s unity and perseverance.
Responding to questions about the attention given to football over other sports in Nigeria, Kalu was optimistic about the trajectory of women’s athletics: “No, I don’t feel that way. I feel like both sports are definitely doing their thing. The Super Falcons have done a great job winning for Africa, and we have basketball right behind them. Women’s sports in general are growing across the nation. It’s just our job to start highlighting these athletes, start highlighting these women players, so that we have more recognition. And I think in years to come, it will be even better.”
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Kalu issued a call for greater support: “We need more support from everybody—everybody that watches women’s basketball, they need to watch it more.
support women’s basketball more—because women’s sports are growing so much.”
Amy Okoronkwo, named tournament MVP, described her emotions at the presidential welcome: “It was an immense honour to be able to represent my family, to represent the team, to represent our country. It’s a great honor to be here today.”
Asked what winning the MVP award meant to her, Okoronkwo credited her teammates and coaches: “I felt amazing. I just say thank you to my teammates and to my coaches for encouraging me, for helping me, for surrounding me with love, and being able to help me be the best player that I can be. And it really felt amazing.”
