Abi Olajuwon, daughter of Nigerian-American NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, has publicly criticized the Nigerian Ministry of Sports over alleged non-payment for her contributions as an assistant coach for the Nigerian women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Under the leadership of FIBA Coach of the Year, Reno Wakama, D’Tigress made history by defeating Australia 75-62 in their opening match, securing Nigeria’s first Olympic basketball victory in two decades. Despite a subsequent loss to France, the team advanced to the quarter-finals, becoming the first African team, male or female, to reach this stage in Olympic history, eventually falling to the USA.
Amid widespread praise for their historic achievements, Abi Olajuwon raised concerns about financial discrepancies, alleging that she and her fellow assistant coaches have not received the payments promised by the Ministry.
In a public statement, Abi expressed her disappointment: “Achieving something at the Olympics that my father did with the USA was a dream come true. Despite the immense effort and dedication of the coaching staff, we have yet to receive the payments due to us. It is disheartening that while players who were paid received less than promised, the assistant coaches have been entirely ignored.”
Abi also shared that her attempts to resolve the payment issue through official channels have been met with silence. She further accused Coach Wakama of removing her from the team’s WhatsApp group after she raised concerns about the unpaid allowances.
In her posts, Abi highlighted the lack of communication and transparency regarding the payment process, noting that despite repeated requests for updates over the past two weeks, the response has been to exclude her from the group chat rather than address the issue.
The controversy casts a shadow over the team’s celebrated performance and underscores ongoing issues related to the management and compensation of sports staff in Nigeria.
