Presidential candidate Dr. Abdullahi Mustapha has unveiled a wide-ranging blueprint for Nigerian basketball ahead of the Nigeria Basketball Federation elective congress on October 15, promising reforms across grassroots development, domestic competitions, national teams, infrastructure and governance.
Mustapha, who addressed journalists and stakeholders in Abuja, said the next generation of D’Tigers and D’Tigress are currently in schools and on local courts. He pledged to establish a coordinated national schools basketball programme, regional talent centres and a national talent-identification and player-tracking system, insisting that no talented child should be denied opportunity because of geography, economic circumstances or lack of connections.
On domestic leagues, Mustapha promised predictable calendars, proper club licensing, improved player contracts and welfare, digital statistics, better venues and stronger broadcasting. “Nigerian players should not have to remain inactive for long periods simply because our domestic system is unable to provide regular competition,” he said.
He also committed to investing in coaches, referees, statisticians and physiotherapists through continuous training, certification and international exposure, and said national teams should no longer operate on emergency preparations. Women’s basketball, he added, will be a major pillar of his development agenda, citing D’Tigress as proof of what is possible when talent is properly supported.
His 100-day action plan includes an audit of the federation’s finances and programmes, a national stakeholders’ summit, a unified competition calendar, advisory structures for players and coaches, a digital registration platform, a national facilities audit, a reconciliation programme and a four-year strategic plan. “I am not promising perfection. I am promising leadership that will listen, build partnerships, establish systems and measure itself by results,” Mustapha said.
