A candidate for the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) presidency, Mustapha, has laid out a programme built on grassroots revival, a professional league system and stronger institutional governance ahead of the October 15 election. He highlighted D’Tigress as evidence of Nigeria’s potential, declaring that women’s basketball will be a major pillar of his development agenda.
Mustapha also pledged a nationwide audit of basketball facilities and partnerships with governments and private investors to renovate abandoned courts, build community facilities and establish regional high-performance centres. To reduce dependence on irregular funding, he proposed commercial streams including sponsorship, broadcasting and digital rights, merchandise, event management, corporate partnerships, diaspora engagement and international development funding.
His immediate priorities include a national stakeholders’ summit, a unified competition calendar, advisory structures for players, coaches, referees and clubs, a digital registration and statistics platform, sponsor engagement, a national facilities audit and a reconciliation programme. A four-year strategic plan would provide continuity and measurable targets for Nigerian basketball, he said.
Citing the DAM Foundation’s support for grassroots competitions, talent development, player welfare and basketball infrastructure in Kano and Kogi, Mustapha framed basketball as a tool to create opportunities for young Nigerians and steer youths away from violence and other social vices.
"I am not promising perfection. I am promising leadership that will listen, build partnerships, establish systems and measure itself by results," he said. The NBBF presidency, he added, should be about "building an institution," urging delegates to back his programme on October 15.
