Basketball
NIGERIA’S COACH, NWORA EXPECTS TOUGH GAME AGAINST CÔTE D’IVOIRE IN FIBA WORLD CUP CLASH
Gaziantep of Turkey centre, Tonye Jekiri and Gombe Bull’s rising star, Buchi Agu may be in line for their D’Tigers debut when the Nigerian basketball men’s team files out against Côte d’Ivoire on Friday.
This was revealed by Coach Alex Nwora after their last training on Thursday ahead of the team’s 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification games at the Palaise Des Sports Indoor Hall.
Nwora said his coaching philosophy of ensuring that everybody in his team gets a piece of the action has made it tactically and technically difficult for opposing coaches.
“Everybody that has been called to the team will play. In my system, everybody plays and that is why we are very tough to scout because we don’t have a go to guy. Everybody in the team is good enough to represent Nigeria.”
The tough talking coach said that as one of the powerhouses in African basketball, all players who have been invited to the team deserve a spot on the court.
“Anybody invited to the National team will play. Nobody is coming here for vacation; they are coming here to work because it is a business trip.”
Despite expecting a hostile reception from the fans and tough fight from the host who are condemned to either win or forget qualifying for the World Cup, Nwora said his team must stay grounded and show their dominance as the number 1 team in Africa.
“I know we are going to face a lot of hostilities from the crowd. They have all their players and even brought in a couple of new players that were not in Nigeria when they played us.
“It doesn’t matter whether they are playing at home or not. We just have to do what we have to do even though we don’t have some of our marquee players, but we just have to show dominance here”, Nwora continued
He urged Nigerians living in Abidjan to turn out in their numbers to support the team in their quest to maintain their unbeaten run in the qualifying rounds.
Côte d’Ivoire are currently 4th on the log with 13points alongside Central Africa Republic after 9 matches while Senegal have 16 points from 7 wins.
Meanwhile, Obinna Emegano (Rouen Basket, France) overcame all odds to report to camp on Wednesday night having earlier being ruled out of the last window due to club commitments and travel logistics.
The arrival of the point guard whose last appearance for the team was in September in Lagos against Senegal which the team won by 81points to 69 has added to the quality at Nwora’s disposal.
The fifth edition of the Dr & Dr (Mrs.) D.K. Olukoya Women’s Basketball Competition is set to take place in Lagos on July 14 and 15, 2025, with eight of Nigeria’s top women’s basketball teams battling for honours in the two-day tournament.
The competition, held annually in celebration of the joint birthday of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, and his wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Folashade Olukoya, continues to grow in prestige and importance on the Nigerian basketball calendar.
Speaking ahead of the event, Chairman of the Main Organising Committee, Godwin Enakhena, acknowledged the logistical challenges encountered in planning this year’s edition due to scheduling conflicts at the National Stadium’s indoor sports hall in Lagos—the tournament’s usual venue.
“Putting together the 2025 edition has been a bit challenging because of the congested calendar at the stadium, but we are determined not to disappoint the teams that have been looking forward to it,” Enakhena said. “We’ve secured two days, and we’ll make the most of the opportunity.”
Enakhena, who is also the Director of Sports at MFM, said the timing of the tournament is ideal for teams preparing for the new Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Women’s Premier League season.
“Several teams participating in the league reached out and pleaded for the competition to hold, as it offers a valuable platform to fine-tune preparations ahead of the first phase of the NBBF Women’s League, which begins at the end of July,” he added.
The Dr & Dr (Mrs.) D.K. Olukoya Women’s Basketball Tournament has become a key fixture in supporting and promoting women’s basketball in Nigeria, while also serving as a birthday tribute to two of MFM’s most influential figures.
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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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