The President of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, has called for a positive change in the basketball ecosystem in Nigeria.
The famous basketball administrator made the call in a statement as a reaction to the recent withdrawal of the Nigerian women’s basketball team from the FIBA world cup, following the Federal Government’s order that Nigeria basketball should withdraw from international competitions for two years.”
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Ujiri also expressed his disappointment at the way things are being handled by the government and the NBBF.
“The ongoing senseless power struggle involving the NBBF has resulted in a two-year self-imposed ban by the Minister of Sports (an outgoing Minister imposing a ban that in reality would have a four-year destructive implication) that prohibits Nigerian basketball teams from entering international competitions.
“This is a symptom of an issue that has permeated the sports ecosystem for years. When leaders put self-interest over national interest, the innocent suffer. It’s time for them to step aside, for the good of the game, the nation, and the athletes”, he said.
He also highlighted that the withdrawal of the women’s team from the World Cup and the men’s team Olympics qualifying chances being in danger will drive patriotic Nigerians to play for other countries.
However, he was hopeful that positive changes could be made.
