Nigeria’s male and female U-18 national teams arrived in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, ahead of the FIBA U-18 qualifying tournament, which tips off today.
It is a fiesta in Paris, France, as the Olympic Games continue, but for these young Nigerians, it is a chance to develop, win some games, qualify for a bigger competition in South Africa and eventually grow into D’Tigers and D’Tigress teams.
The boys and girls teams were able to train for two weeks in Nigeria before the trip to Abidjan as the Nigeria Basketball Federation remained resolute to keep their youth programmes going.
The Leader of the Delegation and Vice Chairman of the Youth Committee on the Board of the NBBF, Ugo Udezue, said from the Abidjan centre that the NBBF remains focused on their set developmental goals.
He then expressed deep gratitude to NBBF President Musa Kida for his resilience in creating an enabling environment and all those who volunteered time and resources to bring the team to Abidjan.