What Nigerians wish for in 2015

SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda’s African Message) - This may be the year of improvement for Nigerian basketball if all goes as the movers and shakers in the country wish.

Over the past few years, a lot has been said about the need to take a step forward and put Nigerian basketball in a loftier position.

Before I share with you what Nigerians wish for in 2015, though, let me explain why Nigerian basketball is relevant. 

Basketball’s popularity in the country continues to grow year after year, but positive results are missing on the international stage.

Nigerians showed the world their basketball talent at the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela.

In that tournament they stunned European powerhouses Greece and Lithuania, edged out the Dominican Republic to qualify for the London Games.

However, Nigeria have struggled to move forward from that historic moment.

After the men made their first-ever appearance at an Olympics, there was a feeling that something really important was missing in the Nigerian basketball that needed to be addressed and improved. 

The following year, that feeling increased even more after Nigeria’s Quarter-Final exit at AfroBasket 2013.

There are a couple of areas where changes can be made to better the situation.

First, send youth teams to FIBA Africa U16 and U18 tournaments, something that has not happened in the past four years after an internal decision of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).

Second, make sure of better performances of Nigerian clubs in African competitions, something that has not been the case in the last decade.

Can Nigeria come back strong? I feel they can.

But first, both the senior teams will need to pass FIBA Africa Zone 3 qualifiers in order to qualify for this year’s continental championships.  

The Nigerians should be able to do something positive. At least that is the opinion of a number of basketball personalities that gathered last week in Otukpo to discuss and set up this year’s basketball agenda.

I selected a few excerpts from that meeting, according to the Nigerian daily newspaper "The Sun" (3 January). 

This is what Nigerians wish for in 2015.

Tunji Awojobi, a former international who last played for Nigeria at the 2007 AfroBasket, said: "Given the talent level, our bas­ketball deserves a pride of place in Africa. 

"We can’t continue to play second fiddle to countries like Angola, Senegal, Egypt ‘and/or’ Cote d’ Ivoire. 

"I was in Tunisia with Dolphin Basketball club for the Africa Champions Cup for Women and I saw so much that the Angolans are doing that we’ve failed to do. 

"Those running basketball for them are people who have the passion for the game and not those who are just interested at occupying positions for the sake of it.

"The numbers of games our teams are involved in are so in­adequate compared to those in Angola that is basically over 45 per season. 

"Our national teams have suffered over the years due to lack of an improved league and awareness. 

"We can’t attract foreign players into our leagues to make it as competitive as it should be. 

"Those running our basketball today should realise that what holds us together is the game and none is bigger than the game. We should throw pride away and seek better basketball for Nigerian basketball."

Usman Abubakar is a home-based guard who helped Nigeria finish third at AfroBasket 2011. 

Last month, Abubakar’s club Kano Pillars withdrew from the 2014 African Champions Cup held in Tunisia just days before the tournament tipped off.

The club alleged administrative reasons for the withdrawal, and he feels help needs to come from elsewhere. 

"The past season was a good one but there’s plenty of room for improvement," he explained.

"At the continental level, we didn’t do well as we had expected because there’s so much that was left undone.

"The Nigerian Basketball Fed­eration needs to assist teams in continental championships by ensuring that there is an improved league. 

"Our clubs need better enlightenment in the way they plan for continental championships and the technical crews also need to show greater commitment in car­rying out their jobs."

Martina Emmanuel, a former in­ternational player, per “The Sun” added: "The time for the NBBF to have a cordial relationship with the State Sports Councils or private club owners is now because they do the real job on ground at the grassroots levels.

"The NBBF should also put in place regular trial camps for players so as they can get to understand themselves better before major international competitions.

"Lastly, the NBBF’s idea of banking purely on foreign-based players is demoralising to our players in the domestic league as they have nothing to look forward to."

Let 2015 become the year of confirmation for Nigerian basketball.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

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