Rifkatu Bitrus is one of the popular names in the Nigerian female basketball and she has been making waves since she got into the limelight.
Rifkatu is on came for holiday and she granted jewel sport an audience. This is how it went:
Jewel sport - May I meet you
Rifkatu - As you know my name is Rifkatu Bitrus I was born in Gombe on the 9th of May (year withheld) to a family of 9 and I am the second to the last born. I attended Government Girls College Doma now Government Girls Science Secondary School from 2000 to 2006. I am married with a daughter.
Jewel sport - Which sport do you play?
Rifkatu - I play basketball, though I started as an athlete before joining volleyball then finally becoming a basketball player at Government Girls College Doma.
Jewel sport - How did you manage to switch between three sports?
Rifkatu - I started as an athlete before I started playing volleyball. I used to go and watch people playing and I developed interest in playing it. I also started watching people playing basketball but I was scared to play because of the way they hit each other and the kind of injuries they sustain but I was encouraged by some people and my sports mistress to give it a trial and it paid.
Jewel sport - When did your professional career began?
Rifkatu - I was playing both basketball and Doma basketball team didn’t qualify for Milo sport zonal competition in Bauchi I joined the volleyball team to represent Gombe in 2013.
I also represented Gombe in the National Sport Festival Abuja 2004. After the sport festival in 2004 I fully switched to basketball still in secondary school.
My school Government Girl’s College Doma couldn’t qualify for the competition in 2004 and 2005 but qualified in 2006.
Attended National Sport Festival 2012 and played for Bayelsa Queens after which I started playing Nigerian Female Basketball League.
After that, a friend called me and connected me with the coach of AHIP (Adolescent Health Information Project in Kano) Queens basketball club coach Wilson in 2012 and we played in the Female Basketball League.
AHIP failed to qualify for the league as we played only first and second phases in 2013, 2014 and 2015 until 2016 before we qualified for the league in Lagos and played all the phases in 2016.
Jewel sport - Do you still play professional basketball now that your are married with a kid?
Rifkatu - Yes I still play and I intend to play this year’s league with AHIP Queens because I still have contract with them and I get in touch with the coach.
Jewel sport - What were your Challenges while growing up as a female athlete?
Rifkatu - Initially, my challenges were the fact that I used to be scared of wounds and injuries but my games mistress encourage me to play and I played just to help my school qualify for Bauchi.
There were challenges from my family too because they did not support me and thought I was into prostitution because that is the mentality in this part of the country, they thought any lady that is into sport is irresponsible.
Apart from that some of my colleagues (students) were against me because I was the best among them but the mistress kept encouraging me to keep my fit.
There was a time a time I even stopped playing completely because of the way I was treated by my colleagues but my passion for basketball couldn’t let my talent die, I kept playing and my games mistress helped me a lot.
There are still challenges now regarding my game because some of my team mates don’t like me because my coach always says I am the best and they know it. So they often don’t want to give me balls to play it even during matches.
These challenges didn’t stop me from playing because I so much have passion for the game and I encourage myself and my coach Wilson.
Jewel sport - Why do you think there are only few female athletes in Gombe?
Rifkatu - Sport management and stakeholders don’t encourage female sports in Gombe, if they see a female talent they will rather destroy the talents than develop the talent because they always discourage people.
I was once banned from training in Gombe basketball training court because I opted to play for Bayelsa Queens and didn’t play for Gombe and that was because Gombe did not invite me on time and Bayelsa Queens had given me a call.
Jewel sport - How do you think female sport can be encouraged in gombe?
I don’t think it is possible through this present management unless if they can change the present crop of management. Or through someone else who can privately encourage female participate and do away with stigmatization against female athletes.
Jewel sport - Thank you.
Rifkatu - You are welcome.
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