Basketball
WITH PLANS FOR 109 COURTS, BASKETBALL BOARD THANKS NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
The Nigeria Basketball Federation has thanked the Federal Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports for its support to funding and approval of its programs which has seen the continued rise of the game in Nigeria.
During a courtesy call on the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare upon arrival from the 2021 Afrobasket qualifiers in Rwanda, the federation said the unparalleled support has made administering basketball easier.
Represented by its President, Musa Kida on Tuesday, the board said, it was there to appreciate and brief the Minister and other high ranking Ministry officials about their Kigali experience and convey the goodwill messages of the coaching crew and players to the minister.
“I came here to personally brief the Honourable Minister about Kigali. Kigali was the first window for Afrobasket 2021 qualifiers.
“I brought in very glad tidings of our successes in beating all the teams we faced, but more importantly I brought the glad tidings of NBBF and the new Technical crew headed by Mike Brown from the Golden States Warriors.
“He is looking forward to meeting the minister. He understood very clearly with his team that the minister had to stay for more urgent national matters but he asked me specifically to send a very personal message
“As we all know, Mike Brown is one of the best coaches in the world, but additionally, I came to personally thank the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports for allowing the Permanent Secretary to also represent him in Kigali which he did ably.
“For us, it shows the support that we have consistently enjoyed from the ministry and the government and we look forward to the continued support.”
In his repose, the Minister commended the NBBF board for putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians as he declared that basketball has come to stay in Nigeria.
“Beyond football, Nigerians have talents and competence in other sports. Our ascendancy in basketball is no longer stoppable. It has been proven; we are African champions in both the men and women with both qualifying for the Olympics.
“It has never happened before. Beyond football and athletics, clearly, basketball as a game has arrived in this country and we are a dominant force in the world.
“We are happy because we are in the hands of good administrators and managers of our teams because beyond the talents we put together, you also need people to manage them. These are the people that have set their eyes on greater glory, podium performance and I am sure so many other Nigerians join basketball revolution”, Dare said.
He seized the occasion to announce a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Sports and the NBBF to have at least one basketball court in each senatorial district across the country.
For him, it is essential that kids in the nooks and crannies of the country find an avenue to chase their dreams as well as targeting the long term dominance of Nigeria on the global stage.
He promised that under his watch, basketball will witness a revolution that will transcend the national team centred around objective grassroots basketball development.
“We hope to start a project to have at least one basketball court in at least one senatorial district in the country through private and public participation. That is a commitment that is being chaired by the NBBF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
On when the project will likely start, Dare said, “By January, 2021, we should have a template of how this will run, how the funding will be received, how it will be implemented and how those our young ones in primary and secondary schools, villages and some of these senatorial districts can just stroll into a basketball court and make basketball a culture. That is what happens in America.”
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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
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
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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