Basketball
MATCH FIXING ALLEGATION: NWORA SLAMS CAMEROON BASKETBALL FEDERATION
Head Coach of Nigeria Senior Men’s Basketball team, Alex Nwora has come down hard on the Cameroon Basketball Federation (FECABASKET) for their match-fixing allegation against the D’Tigers.
According to information, FECABASKET and Cameroonians allegedly blamed D’Tigers for wilfully losing to Côte d’Ivoire to aide their qualification for the 2019 FIBA Men’s World Cup.
He said such careless statement borne out of frustration capable of bringing the sport into disrepute should not be taken lightly by the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA).
Nwora blasted Cameroon saying they embarked on a self-destruct mission during the qualifiers which ultimately cost them a world cup ticket.
“If such is coming from Cameroon that is hypocrisy. Instead of employing average coaches, they should have gone for the best. They have a very good coach who I know very well, he is one of the best coaches and I learn most of the stuff from him”.
According to him, angry Cameroonian should hold their federation responsible for costing the country a place in China after their gamble backfired.
Nwora reckoned that losing 5 games in the qualifying series sealed their fate and not Nigeria that FECABASKET or Cameroonians are trying to blame.
He wondered how much cash or incentives would have been enough for the players and the coaching crew for the match to have been fixed.
“I wanted to go undefeated, make history for my country. Do you how much Nigeria has for Cameroon to insinuate that we came here to sell a game? How much are they going to pay us? Who will pay us to sell a game?”
“These are professional players who make money. If they want to do something right, they should not blame their stupidity on these kids and Nigeria because these guys are professional.”
He described the allegation as an insult on his person, profession, players and what the NBBF stands for.
The US based coach is threatening legal action against FECABASKET or any individual who will stop at nothing to malign his name.
“If anybody is trying to question my integrity, my country and the people that I represent, that is an insult and this is the last time I want to hear that. If my name comes in, I will sue Cameroon or whoever does that.”
By Ugo Okeiyi, Enugu
The end-of-year Ozobz Elite Basketball Invitational Tournament, tagged “Championing the Youth Through Sports, Education and Opportunity,” has taken off and will be concluded on Friday. The three-day event is taking place at the Indoor Sports Multipurpose Gymnasium, Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
The grassroots basketball competition is designed to serve as a platform for discovering and nurturing the next generation of Nigerian basketball talent.
A total of 14 teams — eight male and six female sides drawn from across the country — are competing for honours in what promises to be an exciting three-day basketball spectacle.
The tournament is powered by the Anthony Ozubuekwe Foundation, in collaboration with the Enugu State Ministry for Youth and Sports Development and the Enugu State Basketball Association.
Organisers say fans should expect high-quality action, with displays of skill, athleticism and tactical awareness from some of the most promising young players in the country.
According to the organisers, the initiative is structured to positively engage young people, steering them away from social vices and criminal tendencies, while using sports as a tool for education, personal development and opportunity creation.
They added that the tournament will also give coaches and team officials a valuable opportunity to assess the mental readiness, discipline and competitive mindset of the players, while providing a conducive environment for athletes to interact, bond and learn from one another.
The competition will be played in a round-robin format, with attractive prize money on offer. In the men’s category, the champions will receive ₦2 million and a giant trophy, while the runners-up will earn ₦1.5 million.
In the women’s category, the winning team will go home with ₦1.5 million, while the second-placed team will receive ₦750,000.
With its blend of competition, youth empowerment and community development, the Ozobz Elite Basketball Invitational is expected to be one of the standout grassroots sports events of the year in Enugu State.
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Former head coach of Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, Alex Nwora, will join family, friends and well-wishers on December 28, 2025, to celebrate the 90th birthday of his father, Chief Charles Okwudi Nworah, in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The milestone celebration, according to Evelyn Childs, Public Relations Officer of the US-based Imo Women Elite Club (IWEC), will take place at the expansive Onitsha compound of the nonagenarian, who is highly regarded in his community.
Born on April 17, 1936, to Akudo and Agnes Nwora of the Okakwu family in Ogbedogwu Village, Onitsha, Chief Nworah’s early years reflected strong family values rooted in education and public service. He attended St. Mary’s Catholic School before moving on to Prince Commercial College, and later completed his secondary education at Baptist High School, Osogbo, in Osun State.
Chief Nworah began his career in the civil service at a young age with the Post and Telecommunications Service (P&T), where his father also served and retired as a senior manager. His professional journey continued seamlessly into Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) following the merger of P&T with the Nigerian External Telecommunications.
Alex Nwora, who led D’Tigers through notable periods of growth and international competition, is expected to play a central role in the celebration, which will bring together members of the extended Nwora family and the Onitsha community to honour the life and legacy of the elder statesman.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred national honours on all members of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, in recognition of their historic victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Côte d’Ivoire.
Each member of the team was decorated with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) title at a special reception held on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Representing the president at the event was Vice President Kashim Shettima, who announced a series of generous rewards for the champions.
In addition to the national honours, each player will receive $100,000, while each member of the technical crew will be given $50,000. The government also pledged a flat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to every player and official on the squad.
The rewards follow D’Tigress’s emphatic 78-64 win over Mali in Sunday’s AfroBasket final, played at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan. The victory marked Nigeria’s fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, a feat unmatched in the tournament’s history. With the triumph, D’Tigress also secured an automatic berth to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
President Tinubu, in his remarks delivered by Vice President Shettima, hailed the team’s resilience, determination, and consistency, describing their dominance on the continental stage as a symbol of national pride and inspiration to the youth.
Present at the reception were First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, Garba Maidoki, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports Development, and Kabiru Amadou, Chairman of the House Committee on Sports.
The honours and incentives underscore the government’s renewed commitment to recognising excellence in sports and motivating future champions.
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