For decades, Nigeria has served as a talent pool for international basketball leagues but has failed to capitalize on its youth potential. The advent of a new administration provides an opportunity for a renewed and revised policy approach.
On 12 May 2022, the Nigeria Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that then-president, Muhammadu Buhari, approved a two-year ban of Nigerian basketball teams from international basketball activities. The then minister for youth and sports, Sunday Dare, had reported that the decision was made as part of efforts by the federal government to address contentious issues among stakeholders and revive the domestic basketball leagues.
To support this process, an Interim Management Committee (IMC) was created by the ministry, with the directive to design programmes that would revamp basketball from the grassroots, attract corporate sponsors and revive the domestic leagues. However, only one month after the announcement of the self-imposed ban, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that Buhari had approved the rescission of the decision, citing a letter of appeal from the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) as the main reason...
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