Basketball

Afrobasket 2017: D’Tigers Will Bite Back, Says NBBF

Published

8 years ago

September 12, 2017

The Nigeria Basketball Federation has urged Nigerians not to push the panic button as the men’s basketball team the D’Tigers prepares for their quarter final clash against Cameroon at the ongoing 2017 Afrobasket Men championship.

Col. Samuel Ahmedu (rtd), the international representative on the NBBF board expressed understanding over reactions from Nigerians who are unhappy about Sunday’s result against Congo DR despite being in the driver’s seat for the better part of the game.

Reactions trailed the team’s last group game loss to Congo Democratic Republic who returned to the tournament after a 10-year absence.

Ahmedu explained that the team gave a good account of themselves giving the prevailing circumstances they found themselves.

“I understand why some people feel bad and we all do as no one likes to lose. If you understand sports, you will know that you win some and lose some.

“This team was in camp for 2 weeks only and did not have time for quality friendly games. The team is playing against quality opposition for the first time here.”

Ahmedu explained that the 2017 edition of the FIBA Afrobasket has shown that no country is a minnow with every participating team being at the tournament to win.

“Angola lost to Morocco and almost lost to Uganda whom they beat after overtime. Nigeria beat Mali who beat Congo who beat us. That is sports. Many teams will give their feet to be where we are now.”

He drew positives from D’Tigers ability to come out top of their group despite their loss as he is confident that the Coach Alex Nwora tutored side will definitely improve on the lapses noticed against the Congolese while getting set for their match against Cameroon.

He also shed light on the massive changes to the 2015 Afrobasket winning team which has seen the coach rebuilding a new team for the 2017 edition co-hosted by Tunisia and Senegal.

“Apart from Ike Diogu, players who played in 2015 were not available. Some are in the process of renegotiating contracts, some were not released by their teams due to timing issues, some blatantly refused to show up when invited and some asked to be paid money before they can play for Nigeria. So the coach had to make do with what he had”.

The Vice President, Babatunde Ogunade also buttressed Ahmedu’s position despite admitting that the team had no reason to have lost the game.

“We did not prosecute the match with the full complement of our players. Some had malaria; one had diarrhoea while another was down with a hamstring injury after the hectic schedule left us depleted.

He is optimistic that with the few days between their last group games and their quarterfinal against Cameroon, the team will recover well as the medical staffs are working round the clock to “patch up the players before hitting the home stretch.”

Basketball

Musa Kida moves from the basketball boardroom to NNPC Towers

Published

3 days ago

April 2, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.

The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.

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Basketball

NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman

Published

3 days ago

April 2, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.

The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.

” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.

” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.

” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.

” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.

The DG added that he does not doubt that Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.

” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.

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Basketball

FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers

Published

1 month ago

February 24, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.

A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.

Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.

FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.

Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.

For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.

The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.

Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and Nisre Zouzoua (Cote d’Ivoire)

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