Nigeria men basketball team, D’Tigers, won’t participate in the FIBA Afrobasket Qualifiers that begins Friday, in Tunisia.
According to a release by Nigeria Basketball Federation, it cited lack of funds to prepare the team for the tournament, due to the inability of the ministry of sports to provide the NBBF with the needed funds for the qualifiers.
In recent times, the female and male national basketball teams have not had the best in preparations for major continental and global championships, due to the perennial lack of funds. However, the financial burden of ensuring national teams participate in these tournaments have been personally taken up by the President of NBBF, Engr. Musa Kida.
While Kida, who is yet to be refunded the billions of naira he has spent the participation of the various national teams is unable to raise more funds for the latest national assignment, the ministry of sports have not been able to come up with needed funds, citing lack of adequate funds to prosecute several other national engagements, including the forthcoming All Africa Games holding in Accra, Ghana in March.
The board of NBBF, appeals to the ever-growing fans and lovers of the game in Nigeria and diaspora to understand the dire situation it found itself in view of the economic challenges faced by the country. Even as, it promised to redouble its efforts and commitments to the continued growth of the game in Nigeria.
