Like they say, “how time flies!” It is already three years since Sunday Dare’s emergence as Nigeria’s Minister for Youth and Sports Development. Three years ago, the honourable Minister was saddled with the dual responsibility of taking care of the sports sector, just as the vigour of the youthful population.

In three years, Sunday Dare has led from the front, in facilitating sports development at all levels and catalyzing Nigeria to record-breaking feats in sports.

Just a number of weeks ago, Nigeria posted its best ever performance in the history of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Team Nigeria won 12 Gold, 9 Silver and 14 Bronze Medals. In the run up to the Games, Sunday Dare reiterated on numerous occasions the need for Nigerian athletes to compete and deliver podium performances and not just make up the numbers. This was achieved, as a scientific process was initiated by the minister to focus on sports where the country had comparative advantage.

Moreso, at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Nigeria broke a 13-year record with its Silver and Bronze Medal win, while also winning four Gold, one silver and seven Bronze medals at the Paralympic Games.

As part of the mechanism put in place to bring the best out of Nigerian athletes, the Minister initiated the Adopt-an-Athlete Programme, which has provided grants for over 45 athletes from corporate bodies and individuals. Athletes such as Oluwatobiloba Amusan, Ese Brume etc have benefitted from the initiative while the National Basketball teams enjoyed $5000,000 grants.

Another programme, this time, to rejuvenate sports infrastructures in the country is the Adopt-a-Facility initiative to rejuvenate and reinvigorate sports infrastructures in the country. This programme led to the revamping of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, which has now been approved by both FIFA and CAF. Since its reopening, the facility in has hosted the Senior National Men’s and Women’s Team (Super Eagles and Super Falcons), the Flying Eagles (U-20 Boys), Falconets (U-20 Girls), The Golden Eaglets (U-17 Boys), as well as The Flamingoes (U-17 Girls). Other facilities such as the National Stadium, Surulere, Daura Township Stadium, Liberty Stadium, Ibadan are also benefitting from the scheme.

The National Principal’s Cup has unearthed almost a generation of super stars for the country but it went into comatose for 25 years. Sunday Dare’s grassroots development drive led to the revival of the Principal’s Cup in 2021, encompassing different Sports for schools from all geo-political zones of the country.

Furthermore, in a bid to make sports lucrative and profitable, Sunday Dare pushed for the reclassification of sports as a business. This has been approved by the Federal Executive Council. The minister has continually refined Nigeria’s sporting balance, signing MoUs with Spain, Turkey, Portugal et al, to comparatively juxtapose Nigerian sports with the most refined on the international space.

The National Sports Festival, the National Youth Games, Talent Hunt Programmes are a few amongst many other programmes changing the narrative for Nigerian grassroots sports development, which has enjoyed unwaivering attention and support from the minister, as a result of his unbridled commitment for development.

Welfare of athletes has also remained a top priority for Sunday Dare, since the inception of his tenure. Through the Athletes’ Welfare Scheme, athletes renumeration for medal winners climbed to an unprecedented 300%.

Living no strand of doubt, it has been three years of a progressive trajectory for sports in the country. Football at the grassroot level has thrived in many ways with tangible successes recorded (the last of which were recorded at the WAFU B junior championships).
With even more reforms set to be finalized, one can only raise a thumb, perhaps two thumbs to a quintessential leader, who has laid down the gauntlet and has passionately pursued success in his sector. Cheers to more success, Nigeria.

D’Tigers camp will open on Saturday, 20, August in Abidjan as the team starts preparation for window four of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. The team’s head coach, Mike Brown, disclosed this became necessary to address the slow starts in the first two windows when the team lost to Cape Verde.

Disclosing this to the Nigeria Basketball Federation media department on Wednesday, Brown said knowing the task ahead in its quest to qualify for the world cup, the team needs to get more training under their belt before they face host- Cote d’Ivoire on Friday, 26 at the 3,500 capacity Palais des Sports Treichville.

“We are trying to get there earlier to see whether we can have a few more practices to see whether we can get ready to perform at a little higher level in game one. In the last window, things were put together at the last second and we went there right before the first game”.

He is optimistic that early preparation will make a difference when his players step on the court for their first game.

“Hopefully, with us getting there a little earlier, getting three or four practices under our belt, it will show a little bit of difference when it comes to playing the games”, Brown said.

Currently fourth on the table, D’Tigers will play its opener against host- Cote d’Ivoire on Friday, 26 before facing Guinea a day after. On Sunday, 28 August, the team will square up against Angola. The 2023 world cup takes place from 25 August to 10 September in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Signed

NBBF Media Department

The Board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation has extended its gratitude to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari for rescinding the Federal Government’s decision, through the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sport, Chief Sunday Dare, to withdraw the national teams from international basketball.

In its immediate reaction, following the press conference presided over by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alh. Ismaila Abubakar, held on Thursday in Abuja to announce the decision, the NBBF board said it was heart-warming that the best interests of the players and stakeholders have prevailed.

Speaking through its President, Engr Ahmadu Musa Kida, the board said, “After the back and forth, I am quite glad to see that this decision is reached, and it is a major victory for basketball. This is what I truly will say, no victor and no vanquished”.

“It gladdens our heart that the Federal Government has decided to return basketball to where it rightfully belongs”.

“We recognize that some of the actions of the stakeholders and their effects are regrettable. Vital lessons have been learnt and stakeholders are now committed to close ranks in the overall interest of the game”.

“There can be no viable grassroots development without international exposure. No country can be an island while every kid who takes up sports wants to play on the global stage and represent its fatherland, with the resultant huge economic benefit to the child that attains global recognition in the game”, Kida said.

Kida also emphasized that the NBBF pledged, in line with its decision at its last meeting in Lagos, to set up a high-powered and all-inclusive committee to reconcile every genuine grievance amongst stakeholders.

“At our last board meeting, we resolved to put machinery in motion to bring every genuine stakeholder to the table. We have also resolved to maintain a very high level of respect for the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Sports, as we recognize their supervisory role in line with global laws governing sports federations”.

It stated that the reconciliatory move will herald the necessary constitutional amendments recommended by the stakeholders, through the FMYSD and others, as approved by the NBBF congress- the highest governing body of basketball in Nigeria.

The NBBF President, Engr Musa Kida, thanked the Honourable Minister, the Permanent Secretary and the other Management staff of the Ministry for their support in resolving the issue.

NBBF Media Committee

Following the intervention by concerned stakeholders, former Nigerian International basketballers, well meaning Nigerians and a letter of appeal by Musa Kida on behalf of the board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation(NBBF), the decision of the Federal Government to withdraw from international basketball for two years has been rescinded.

Kida’s letter of appeal dated June 17, 2022 addressed to the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare, among other things apologised to Mr President and the Minister over the embarrassment the issues around the game and the conduct of some of its actors have brought on the nation, appealing to him to use his good offices to approach President Buhari for the reversal of the self imposed ban.

The appeal letter also gave key undertakings to immediately set in motion the process of the NBBF Statures review, and the reconciliation of all contending and aggrieved parties both home and abroad as well as commiting to work in tandem with the Ministry.

Following from the above, and in the overriding spirit of national interest, love for the Nigerian youth and the development of the sport, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the return of Nigeria to international basketball immediately.

In giving this approval, it is noteworthy that the laws of Nigeria must be respected and not subjugated to any other law and all those leading government organisations and sports federations must know that they hold such positions in trust for Nigeria and under the supervision of the Minister of Youth and Sports.

D’Tigers head coach, Mike Brown and former D’Tigers player, Ime Udoka have been congratulated as the curtain came down on the 2021/2022 NBA season.

The Nigeria Basketball Federation Board through its president, Engr Musa Kida said the outcome was a win-win situation for the duo and indirectly for Nigeria.

“Mike Brown and Ime Udoka have achieved amazing feats that will be spoken about for a long time to come. We are happy for Brown who is our men’s national team coach for this outstanding success. We enjoyed the hospitality of the Golden State Warriors franchise and its facility courtesy of Brown during our preparation for the 2020 Olympics”, Musa Kida said.

Mike Brown has won his fourth NBA championship as an assistant coach and third championship with the Warriors.

Eulogizing Ime, the NBBF President said, “We are proud of him for achieving so much with Boston Celtics in such a short time. We are proud of him and what he has achieved. Although, he did not win, he surmounted adversity which is a true Nigerian spirit”.

“We know that he is capable of doing greater things in future and a beacon of hope and encouragement to other Nigerian coaches home and abroad”.

Udoka was part of D’Tigers’ bronze medal winning team at the 2005 and 2011 FIBA Africa Afrobasket championship.

As the proverbial maxim posits, the future of any sports is in the development of its grassroots. Across different generations of stellar sports teams in different events, the production talent bed is one of the fulcrum of its success.

Grassroots does not only catalyze sporting success, it also guarantees the long term sustainability of such successes.

Grassroot Basketball in Nigeria in the last number of years has continued to wallow in rot due to the non-existent reality of the sport, at the grassroot level. Unmitigated in-house fightings amongst stakeholders in the country crashed the entire grassroot system. The local league has been crippled, sponsors and investors have all disappeared and local players are watching right before their eyes, their talents waste away.

The implication of this, is the total destruction of a whole sporting value chain, which spells doom for the future. Basketball should have a operational system where the top echelon depends on a feeder unit for its sustainability but this hasn’t been the case for Nigeria, as those saddled with the responsibility have all ended up departing from what is meant to be at the core of their job description.

The rebirth has started. After the Federal Government’s approval of Nigeria’s withdrawal from international basketball, the Honourable Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare announced that the country must use this opportunity to delve in to the deep and rescue basketball in Nigeria through a holistic rebuilding process. While the country takes a step back during this period, so it can make a giant leap, the Interim Management Committee set up to steer the affairs of basketball in the country have been charged in very strong terms, amongst other things to catalyze grassroot development of basketball.

Quoting the Honourable Minister, Sunday Dare during the inauguration of Nigeria Basketball IMC, he mandated them thus “draw up programmes that will revamp basketball from the grassroots”.

In his statement, Dare stated thus “Nigeria at this critical time is more interested in developing young basketball talents and the domestic league…for years the basketball value chain has been truncated such that home-based players, coaches, physical trainers and sponsors were left empty”.

These words from the Honourable Minister shows that the responsibilities of the IMC is explicitly defined; develop youth and grassroots basketball and organize the domestic league.

The hope for the future is that the ambitions are clear, in that there is a reflection to understand that Nigeria’s successes in the last couple of years is the product of other county’s system. This is not a problem at all, because the national team should be about the best of the best competing for places. But how can the local players compete favourably without a running domestic league or efficient grassroots? What if the U.S.A abandoned their local system like Nigeria? What would be of our national teams? The successes recorded have only papered the cracks but haven’t addressed the deeper issues of development. If the home front is solid, the foreign players are playing well abroad, it makes for a decent balance of healthy competion for places; but in a case where the domestic scene is dormant, it’s simply glossing the surface to think the game is thriving.

Already, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports have hit the ground running, announcing that a new Nation Secondary Basketball championship is on the cards. Just as we saw the National Principal’s Cup, this looks an achievable project for the FMYSD.

Kudos must go to Honourable Sunday Dare for this vision at a time like this. The onus is now on the IMC to deliver on this mandate. They cannot afford to fail.the country at a time like this. This National assignment has been entrusted into their hands and failure is not an excuse. Well, one would be confident by the fact that the profiles of the IMC members fits the bill. Here’s to a new dispensation. Here is to the rebirth of grassroot basketball. Here is to success. Cheers Naija. The rebirth has started!!

The Minister made this known during the inauguration of an 11-man team to manage the game within a stipulated period.

He stated “the Terms of Reference of the Committee are to amongst others,
draw up programmes that will revamp basketball from the grassroots,
attract corporate sponsors and revive the moribund domestic leagues for
the development of the game within 2 years, and ensure the development
of Basketball facilities in the entire country, and any other thing that will
facilitate the development of Basketball in Nigeria”.

“I therefore charge you all to carry out this enormous task with utmost sense of responsibility, bearing in mind you cannot afford to fail in this National assignment”.

The members of the Interim Management Committee include:

Dr. Henry Nzekwu – Chairman​

Mr. Udon Ubon Humapwa – Member

Mr. Frank Jituboh – Member

Zenith Bank Representative – Member

Prof. Adamu Ahmed – Member

Mr. Peter Nelson – Member

Grp. Captain Rahinatu Garba – Member

Aderemi Adewunmi – Member

Oluchi Nzekwe – Member

Seni Adio (SAN) – Member

The Pro- NBBF campaigners have tried endlessly, to paint the Sports ministry in bad light while also trying to gather enough support and sympathy for the NBBF Board rendered redundant by the recent decision of the Sports ministry to withdraw Nigeria from all international competitions for atleast two years.

Unlike in the past when these men would easily have accused the sports ministry of interference, this time, their hands are tied because the ministry in it’s wisdom, cleverly avoided these controversies by playing smart.

A dissolution of the board of the NBBF would have incurred the wrath of the Federation of international Basketball Association (FIBA), and would have given the opposition enough reason to condemn the sports ministry with their usual claim of government interference.

Unfortunately, the NBBF has not gotten to that point where they can pride themselves as being autonomous. That is because, the federation still depends on government fundings to execute most of it’s competitions.

Secondly, the federation cannot operate without the athletes who incidentally are citizens of this country and as citizens of this country, government reserves the right to decide if they should participate in international competitions or compete locally.

Every country wants to showcase her talents internationally. The whole essence of taking part in international sporting competitions is to create a platform for the youths of this country to have an opportunity to meet people of other countries, to make new friends and to foster peaceful co-existence among participants and competing countries.

Nigeria Basketballers have performed excellently in the last five years but in the midst of these excellence, lies an unstable leadership.

The crisis in the NBBF has exposed the many ills in the administration of the sport, there have been allegations and counter allegations of misappropriation and misapplication of funds.

Players have protested locally and internationally demanding for unpaid match bonuses. There have been instances where the image of Nigeria has been severely tarnished because some individuals failed to do their job. Or perhaps because, these players are taking advantage of the crisis to make unnecessary claims or demands.

There is also a complete neglect of the local league which is none existence. A league that was once sponsored by Zenith Bank has been abandoned because the warring factions could not put aside their personal differences for the good of the sport.

Government cannot sit back and pretend as if all is well when in truth, a lot has gone totally byserk.

As the Supreme body incharge of sports in Nigeria, the ministry tried to wade into the matter, using all available means at it’s disposal to broker peace between the Tijani Umar Led board and the Engineer Musa Kida led body.

In January this year, the nation was excitedly looking forward to the end of the crisis during the federation elections, but there was yet another shocker. Two Elections took place. One in Edo and another in the federal capital territory, Abuja.

What this means is that, two presidents have again emerged to further prolong the crisis and leave government with only one option, which is to wield the big stick.

Ordinarily, dissolving the board of the federation would have been the best option but the ministry was aware of the implication of such action so they opted for the other, which is, withdrawing the National teams from international competitions for two years.

In taking this decision, the ministry left the two federation presidents with the option of joining in the rebuilding process. No one told them to stop flaunting their egos as NBBF presidents but what the ministry did in this case, is to set up an independent body, saddled with the responsibility of organizing grassroot competitions starting with an Under-18 championship.

It is rather unfortunate that many did not see the wisdom in this decision but for the benefit of doubt, the ministry was quick to highlight the reasons behind their action as follows.

1. The need to put an end to five years of endless leadership crisis
2. The urgent need to revive the Basketball league after many years of neglect
3. The need to make the environment conducive once again for sponsors to invest in Nigeria Basketball
4. The need to give our local players a chance to grow
5. The need to create local competitions where talented basketballers can be discovered in two years.

All these are the reasons behind government’s decision which if properly looked at, became inevitable and was done in the best interest of the sport and the athletes.

••• Organisers Commends Kwara Sport Commission, Basketball Association •••

Organisers of the Milo Nestle Secondary school basketball championship has said the Energy Food Drink of Future Champions has inspired the youth of Nigeria in sport to instil life values such as hard work, responsibility, fair play, discipline, perseverance, togetherness and team work.

National Coordinator of the competition, Col. Sam Ahmedu, a board member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, stated this during the tip off of the Central Conference Playoffs of the competition on Monday 16th May, 2022 in Ilorin, adding that the competition has been an avenue for youth engagement, integration and talent discovery with special recognition to Precious Achuwa, discovered in 2014, now playing for the Toronto Raptors and represented Nigeria at the Olympic games.

The President, FIBA Africa Zone III Commended Milo for its twenty two years of active tournament and affirmed that there will be value for time at the end of the Central Conference Playoffs in Ilorin.

During a courtesy visit to the Executive chairman of the Kwara Sport Commission, Coach Bola Mogaji, Col. Sam appreciated the support by the state Sport Commission an for its association with brains and hammers that would bring dividends to Sports, noting that Kwara occupies a strong hold in Nigeria Basketball which prompt the decision to push the championship to the state of Harmony.

Coach Bola Mogaji, in his response, maintained the Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq’s led government vision is to make Kwara a melting point for sports development while commending Milo for its commitments to Youth development.

He opined that his led commission will formulate policies and programmes to make life meaningful for sports men and women, investors and call on stakeholders to join his led administration in the quest to create a lasting legacy for Sports Project in the state.

Others at the visit were Monday Nelson, Vice President, Nigeria School Sport Federation, Alhaji Shola Sheu (Director, Kwara Sports Commission), Oladayo Oke (Official Milo Nestle), Bello Azeez (Secretary, Kwara State Basketball Association), Ahmed Adebayo (Head of School Sports, Kwara Sport Commission), and Bolaji Lawal.

The Indoor Hall of the Kwara Stadium, Ilorin is venue for the central Conference of the 22nd Milo Secondary School Basketball Championship with Schools from Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, FCT, Kwara, Niger, Benue and Plateau all participating.

Match Day 1 Results:

Boys Category

Niger 22-24 Benue
Kwara 27-19 Nasarawa

Girls Category

Sokoto 14-32 Nasarawa
Kwara 10-26 FCT
Benue 26-17 Kaduna

The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development says it has a duty to approach the Federal Government to reconsider Nigeria’s withdrawal from international basketball, but if only there are improvements on the state of the game and unity amongst stakeholders.

Last Wednesday, the Federal Government’s decision to have Nigeria withdraw from international basketball for two years was announced, as the Ministry promised to work aucidiously to return the game to the top.

Issues ranging from leadership instability, dissatisfaction amongst players, stagnancy of the local league amongst other serious concerns led to the decision.

A source said, “We have tried in several ways to solve this crisis in the fight for administration in the interest of all parties and players but we discovered that the more we tried, the lower we sunk. There were disruptive protests, we didn’t have a league, players were suffering, something drastic needed to be done.”

In a bid to kickstart the restoration process, the Ministry said an Interim Management Committee will be set up to pilot affairs for a period.

In a related development, the Sports Ministry has rolled out plans for it to begin its grassroots development programmes with a zonal secondary championship in June, across all the geo-political zones of the country leading to a national championships in Lagos or Abuja.