Nigeria’s Under-18 boys and girls teams are expected to leave the country for South Africa tomorrow ahead of their participation for the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 tournament .
While the boys are travelling through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the girls are leaving via the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.
The players, their coaches and the Nigeria Basketball Federation officials have expressed their determination to return home with tickets to the world championship but we can report on authority that the trip is a low key sad one for the teams.
The NBBF officials reportedly scratched all over the country to raise the needed funds for the trip from private sources as they could not get any assistance from the Federal Ministry of Sports Development.
A member of one of the NBBF’s committee who spoke in Abuja on anonymity noted the objective of putting together the team will be met.
“We can’t play with the same set of D’Tigress and D’Tigers forever and so we have to keep building up junior players for the future. Winning the trophy in South Africa, if that happens, can only be a bonus. The objective is to get a lot of our young players exposed and upgraded; we are not doing this programme for immediate results and surely it is continuous,” he said.
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The Nigeria U18s got the African tickets after winning the FIBA Africa Zone 3 competition in Abidjan earlier this month while the Olympics was ongoing in Paris. Followers of sports in Nigeria had hoped that the team would get some financial support from the sports ministry especially because it is a developmental programme but unfortunately they are getting no support.
Nigeria is in Group B with Angola, Egypt and Uganda at the 2024 FIBA Africa Men’s U-18 Basketball Championship, which tips off September 2 in Pretoria, South Africa.
The finalists of the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 will represent Africa at next year’s FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.
For the girls’ event, Nigeria, Egypt, Uganda and Zimbabwe are in Group C.
LIST OF PLAYERS
BOYS GIRLS
1. Sulaimon Azeez Olaitan 1. Hembam Wandoo Marvis
2. Ojiako Jovan Chiebuka 2. Beggi Idubamo Pius
3. Dan-Mutum Daubuna-Chule Ibrahim 3. Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor
4. Kpee Favour Komene 4. John Patience
5. Owinje Ohiozojeblake 5 Umeh Amarachi Blessing
6. Bassey Ekpo-Effiong 6. Idris Maryam Omotomiwa
7. Dalhat Abdulmalik Malik 7. Sampson Favour Izibefien
8. Ezekiel Isaac Oluwatemitope 8. Iwuji Vivian Chiamaka
9. Hart Abraham Boyce 9. Ayodeji Haminatu Olanrewaju
10. Ibe Favour Ikedinachukwu 10. Shehu Khadijat Garba
11. Ike David Ugonna 11. Tewogbade Mololuwa Ayomide
12. Ajala Chidalu David 12. Isaac Abigail