Stakeholders in basketball have urged the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to come out with a blueprint of its activities for 2024.
The stakeholders, who gave their views in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, said that, with such a blueprint, other stakeholders in the sports would be properly guided.
According to Philip Braide, a basketball veteran and administrator in Lagos, many basketball academies and privately-sponsored clubs are looking forward to the NBBF plans to also enable them set targets.
Braide told NAN that stakeholders are also eager to know what the governing body for basketball in Nigeria had in stock for them.
“It is so unfortunate that you will never hear from the NBBF in this early periods of the year when people and corporate organisations who sponsor clubs, can make their own plans as well.
“When the NBBF sets out its plans for the year, it gives stakeholders the opportunity to look ahead of the year to see how they can invest their own funds in the programmes outlined,” Braide said.
According to Braide, people like ex-International, Olumide Oyedeji, can still give basketball the kind of lift it so deserves in Nigeria.
“Oyedeji has been ever-supportive of basketball development in Nigeria, let the truth be told, he never gets tired.
“He has a sub-regional basketball event (the West Africa Basketball Championship) coming up in February; this is just a testimony of how he loves the game and development of youths.
“We have other sports-loving enthusiasts who are in diaspora also contributing their hard-earned money to the development of the sport in Nigeria; and this has been very encouraging,” he said.
Braide noted that 2023 was an excellent year when basketball fans came out to rescue the sport, when the Federation failed in organising tournaments.
“We witnessed no fewer than 40 basketball events all-year-round from stakeholders, enthusiasts both within and in the diaspora that invested their hard-earned funds to develop the sport.
“We hope that this year, there will be an increase and at the end of every competition the youths will have been empowered to improve on the knowledge of the sport.
“With more stakeholders reaching out to support the sport, this will enable brighter future for our players at the grassroots also at the elite level,” Braide said.
Similarly, Abimbola Faniran, the Coordinator, Akofa Basketball League for youths at the secondary schools level, also called for quick action from the NBBF.
Faniran told NAN that the NBBF did not achieve much in 2023 due to the political situation within the board.
He alleged that internal politics within the NBBF board had affected the game, as well as the men and women league as a whole in 2023.
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The coordinator urged them to be more coordinated to make 2024 a more vibrant year for the sports, especially for those youths who train all year and were eager to develop in the sport.
Faniran praised the efforts of the Lagos State Basketball Association in the sports, and urged them to continue in that spirit, especially in organising events. (NAN)
