AAG/Afrobasket: National Teams To Commence Camping

President of the Nigeria
Basketball Federation (NBBF), Tijani Umar, has said that  the federation’s national teams would likely resume camp this weekend ahead of the All-Africa Games (AAG)/Afrobasket joint preliminaries.
Umar told newsmen in Abuja that the National Sports Commission (NSC) has promised to give the federation the necessary funds this week for preparations to start next week.
“What has held back the camp is funding, but the NSC has given us its words that money will be available this week. So, if we get that, we will resume camping by  this weekend.
“This is because their (the teams) resumption to camp has been long overdue and we have to start once we get what we need,’’ he said.
The male and female national teams were expected to begin camping in preparation for the joint preliminary competitions for the 2015 AAG/Afrobasket.
The male national team will face Burkina Faso in a home and away fixture on a yet-to-be-decided date in February.
The female national team, on the other hand, will face the women teams in FIBA Africa Zone 3, namely Niger Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Liberia and Ghana.
The NBBF president said he had earlier threatened to resign his position if the national teams were not able to participate in the all-important qualifiers.
“What I am trying to say is that if there are funds to be given from any source, either the private sector or through the government, they should come at the right time.
“Otherwise, if we don’t play in the tournament, and lose out in the end, then there is no point remaining the leader of the federation.
“It is needless being the leader of a failed organisation. It doesn’t make any sense.