By Emma Jemegah
The Nigeria basketball Federation (NBBF) has approved the restructuring of the Nigerian men’s and women’s Basketball leagues, which will commence from the 2024/2025 Basketball League season, in line with best global practice.
This was contained in a communiqué at the end of the board meeting held in Abuja last Monday.
Similarly, the board decides to run the 2024/25 Men’s league for a full season despite the lack of sponsorship with 16 teams as vetted and rectified by the Technical Committee of the NBBF.
Part of the resolutions at the meeting included the approval of the 2024 NBBF calendar as well as the reconstitution of the federations standing committees
The board equally acknowledged and ratified the list of athletes, coaches and officials that will be involved in the preparations and eventual participation of the National Women’s team at the Paris Olympic Games and the approved Road Map for the preparations and effective participation of the Nigerian National Female Basketball Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the same vein, the board also approved the updated financial position of the Federation for the year 2023, including what was presented and captured in the books of accounts of the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, for National team activities carried out, as approved by the Ministry for periods 2023 and up to 2024, as updated.
The Board expressed its sincere gratitude to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister for Sports Development, Sen. John Owan Enoh, for their huge support given to both the men’s and women’s National team which enabled the women qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as well as win the Afrobasket for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time, while the Men’s team qualified to play in the next window qualifiers of the 2025 FIBA World Cup.