Presidential candidate Mustapha Abdullahi has unveiled a grassroots development plan ahead of the October 15 Nigeria Basketball Federation elective congress in Abuja, promising a structured pipeline from schools to the senior national teams. He said Nigerian basketball had reached a critical point where its talent base must be matched with a system capable of producing players and officials of international standard.
Abdullahi pledged to establish a coordinated national schools basketball programme, strengthen competitions from local government to national level, and create regional talent centres across the country. He proposed a national talent-identification and player-tracking system linking schools, academies, clubs, leagues and national teams. "No talented Nigerian child should be denied an opportunity because of geography, economic circumstances or lack of connections," he said.
Through the DAM Foundation, Abdullahi said he has already supported grassroots competitions, talent development, player welfare and sporting infrastructure, including basketball facilities in Kano and Kogi, and pledged to replicate the initiative nationwide. He identified the strengthening of domestic competitions as a major priority, promising a predictable league calendar, stronger club structures, improved player contracts and welfare, better venues, digital statistics and stronger broadcasting arrangements.
On the national teams, Abdullahi said D'Tigers, D'Tigress and the age-grade squads must move from emergency preparations for international competitions to permanent development structures, with early preparation, merit-based selection, proper welfare and long-term succession planning. He singled out D'Tigress as proof of what Nigerian basketball can achieve when talent receives proper support.
His proposal also includes a nationwide audit of basketball facilities, renovation of abandoned courts, partnerships to build community courts and regional high-performance centres, and continuous training for coaches, referees, statisticians, physiotherapists and other technical personnel. A 100-day action plan would cover a federation audit, a national stakeholders' summit, a unified competition calendar and a digital registration and statistics platform.
