Sports
Basketball Excels Amidst Crisis
Despite the leadership crisis that engulfed Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) after the elections that held in June 2017, the country still excelled in the year under review.
The basketball family was fractionalized because of Tijani Umar’s refusal to acknowledge the result of the election that held in Abuja, a day after he organized an orchestrated election in Kano that returned him to power.
With the Sports Ministry and the Nigeria Olympic Committee recognizing the Abuja election, all the shenanigans at the instance of Umar faction fell flat when FIBA acknowledged in a letter affirming the Abuja election won by Musa Kida.
The letter affirmation letter became inevitable when the NOC electoral committee contented that none of the factions would be recognized at the NOC election that held last week in Yola.
FIBA in a letter dated December 18, 2018 and addressed to the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Tunde Popoola, who had written FIBA on the need to name the “eligible representative of the NBBF, who will be at the NOC elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) and to vote” in Yola, Adamawa State.
FIBA Secretary General, Andreas Zaglis, replied, “FIBA has communicated with the board of Kida concerning the affairs of the NBBF since July 2017 and has organized FIBA events with the same board’s assistance.
“Besides, FIBA notes that good progress is being made in regularizing fully the NBBF-FIBA relationship, which remains an internal matter of the basketball family, since the NBBF is not suspended and enjoy full rights as a member,” FIBA continued.
FIBA explained that having earlier received a letter from the NOC recognizing the board elected on the 13th of June 2017 in Abuja and the recent memo of the Federal Ministry of Youth Sports Development revalidating Kida and his board, the international body has deemed it fit to accord the board all the necessary recognition.
The latest letter, put paid to insinuations in different quarters over who is in charge of basketball administration in Nigeria expressly named Kida who recently bagged a Doctorate Degree in Credit Management as president.
The letter granting Kida (or a validly nominated delegate of his) therefore nullified the earlier erroneous pronouncement of the NOC electoral committee chaired by Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima that no board had been recognized by FIBA as the legitimate basketball federation.
With FIBA’s position clearly stated on who is in charge of basketball administration in Nigeria, Musa Kida called on all basketball stakeholders to join hands and contribute meaningfully to basketball growth.
He said despite the recent landmark achievements recorded by the board since its assumption of office, more ground could have been covered especially at the home front if not the incessant distractions.
The year began with the Commonwealth Basketball event in Australia. A home based team represented the country at the Commonwealth losing all games as expected. The team finished the competition with four straight losses. D’Tigers scored 248 points but conceded 355; with the team’s captain, Ikechukwu Diogu, posting 84 points. Nigeria however placed sixth at the end of the Games.
However, Kida desired to take the game to the next level ensured that the team got all the support needed in their bid to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
D’Tigers became the first Africa team to qualify for the FIBA Men’s World Cup after winning their first two qualifying tournaments in style.
However, D’t igress participation at the FIBA Women’s Championship was the icing in the cake in a year the country recorded excellent successes internationally.
At the Women’s World Cup, Nigeria became the first African team reached the quarterfinal of any FIBA tournament and were also the first African team to win more than one game in a single World Cup tournament.
Before the tournament, D’Tigress ranked 34th now emerged as the 2nd best team in Africa, replacing Angola.
Head Coach, Hughley Otis Jr. guided the team to a record of 3-4; including straight wins over Turkey, Argentina and Greece.
D’Tigress progress did not go unnoticed by FIBA president, Horacio Muratore.
In an interview granted to the official FIBA blog, Muratore spoke among others, on the performance of Nigeria and Senegal, paying glowing tributes to the D’Tigress, especially.
“One of the best story lines of this Women’s World Cup without a doubt will be that Africa proved it has some very good teams in Nigeria and Senegal.
“These are teams that can play against anyone and I congratulate both of them for their campaigns.
“Senegal had a historic win (against Latvia) and a great game against Spain (in quarterfinal qualifications). They made the tournament hosts tremble a bit. It would have been amazing for both African teams to reach the quarterfinals.
“Nigeria outplayed the USA – the reigning world champions – in the first half of their quarterfinal and got wins over Turkey, Argentina and Greece.
“This is extremely positive for African basketball and for the sport in general.”
At the club level, Rivers Hoopers, Nigeria champions, described the year as the best ever in the history of the club.
Hoopers for the first time won the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Championship early in December in Cotonou finishing with a 5-0 record.
Looking back on 2018, Ifie Ozaka, General Manager of the club labelled it a bitter-sweet experience for the Zone 3 Champions who played only two games all year, before the competition in Cotonou.
“I will describe 2018 as turbulent for the team. We didn’t play any competitive basketball till November where we had only two competitive matches, which qualified us for the FIBA qualifiers in Zone 3. From the turbulence of 2018 we are ending the season on a high. A turbulent season turned out to be our best season and highest point ever in the history of the club.”
Ozaka continued, “Playing a long league where players have to play many matches, where players get more allowances, where the fans of the team come out and watch the team play week in, week out that’s what I would have loved to do this season.
“Not playing a long league and not just the Kwese league wasn’t too good for my team and also fans of basketball in Port Harcourt.”
“I was very impressed with my boys. At the beginning of 2018 when we went out to recruit the couple of players we wanted I think we made very good choices in the transfer market.
“The players we brought in filled the gaps properly. I told them it’s been a long time I had a bunch of talented young men together as a team. A team I believe that can hold their own against any team in Nigeria so I was very impressed with their play judging that they have not had a long time together.
“They played a lot of physical sides and I say kudos to them and if we can keep them together for another season I am sure they will go on to do great things.”
Tonye Orabere
The 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist spoke to Tidesports source her desire to defend her para singles title in the women’s category and to also secure a qualification berth for both the regional West Africa para table tennis event in Abeokuta in September and the continental championship billed to hold in Cairo, Egypt in November.
The multiple Paralympian said, “My expectation is to come out great at this wonderful tournament and to qualify for the forthcoming tournament that is coming up in Nigeria and Egypt in September and November. Last tournament, I won the singles. I won three golds at the last ValueJet tournament. And I want to believe and hope that I will maintain my position by coming in first position.”
Ugwueke had featured in the para event at the 56th Molade Okoya-Thomas National Table Tennis Championships, held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in January, where she suffered a stunning defeat to eventual finalist and tournament runner-up Taiye Oyinloye, who in turn was beaten 3-1 (11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9) by Commonwealth Games medallist, Kate Oputa, to become the women’s class 1-5 champion.
The ValueJet Lagos Para table tennis Open, which is in its seventh edition, is an event sanctioned by the governing body ITTF Africa and put together by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation in partnership with Lagos State Sports Commission.
The event will come to a close on July 11, with the competition serving as qualifiers for the country’s players for the regional tournament in Abeokuta.
A total of 98 athletes—57 men and 41 women—from Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo are competing in the singles events.
Notable performances have come from Alabi, Agunbiade, Ogunkunle, and Commonwealth Games medallists Kate Oputa and Faith Obazuaye, who have showcased their class against emerging talents across various classifications.
Their presence has intensified the battle for podium finishes, with top seeds asserting dominance in their respective singles events.
The AIU announced in the June 2025 sanctions list on July 1 that 21-year-old quarter-miler Uko was found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation committed on June 5 2024. Her infraction falls under whereabouts failures, having missed three tests within a 12-month period.
The AIU confirmed that her period of ineligibility will run until 23 July 2026 and all results recorded from the date of the infraction have been officially disqualified.
Uko rose to fame after clinching three gold medals at the 2021 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi, winning the women’s 400 metres, 4x400m relay, and the mixed 4x400m relay.
Stephen Eloji (June 2028)
Sprinter and hurdler Stephen Eloji tested positive for dehydrochloromethyl-
The 25-year-old was active in the American collegiate circuit, recording strong performances in the 110m hurdles and relay events as recently as April 2024, including at the Pepsi Florida Relays and Music City Challenge.
Ada Princess Bright (September 2027)
Ada Princess Bright is serving a four-year ineligibility period after testing positive for Metenolone during the National Athletics Trials held on July 6 2023 in Benin City.
She had an active season prior to her suspension, competing in national meets in Lagos, Uyo, and Benin, and earning a relay gold at the African U20 Championships in Ndola, Zambia.
Grace Nwokocha (August 2025)
Nwokocha is serving a three-year ban after testing positive for SARMS substances including Ostarine and Ligandrol during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The fallout was significant, as Nigeria was stripped of its women’s 4x100m relay gold medal at the Games. Prior to her suspension, she had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, posted a personal best of 11.00s in the 100m, and reached the semi-finals in the 100m and 200m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. She is ineligible to compete until 2 August 2025.
Yinka Ajayi (January 2030)
Ajayi, a 400m specialist and one-time Olympic representative, is currently serving an extended eight-year ban for multiple anti-doping violations.
The first sanction, issued after she tested positive for Metenolone in an out-of-competition test in Iowa, USA, led to a four-year ban starting in December 2021. However, further findings of tampering led to an additional four-year penalty in 2024, extending her suspension until January 25 2030.
Glory Okon (January 2026)
Glory Okon is serving a four-year ban for testing positive for Metenolone following an out-of-competition test conducted on December 2 2021 in Nigeria.
She previously won gold in the 400 metres at the 2019 African U-20 Championships in Abidjan and featured prominently at the 2021 National Sports Festival in Benin City.
Blessing Okagbare (July 2031)
Once the face of Nigerian athletics, Okagbare is now serving a 10-year ban following multiple anti-doping rule violations. She tested positive for human growth hormone and EPO in an out-of-competition test in June 2021.
Her suspension came while competing at the Tokyo Olympics and was announced in February 2022. It was later extended by an additional year in June 2022 due to further breaches.
Divine Oduduru (February 2029)
Oduduru’s career was derailed by anti-doping violations linked to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On October 12 2023, a Disciplinary Tribunal of the AIU imposed a six-year ban on Oduduru after he was found guilty of possessing and attempting to use prohibited substances and methods. The case stemmed from the wider investigation into Eric Lira, the first individual convicted under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, who supplied banned substances to athletes, including Okagbare, ahead of the Tokyo Games.
Oduduru’s ban is effective from February 9, 2023 and will run until February 8, 2029.
Henry Azike (Lifetime ban)
Azike is one of two Nigerian athletes currently serving a lifetime ban after testing positive for Metenolone, an anabolic steroid. His case was classified as a second ADRV, automatically triggering a lifetime suspension from the sport.
Azike last competed in 2011, including at the Doha Amir Cup and Nigerian Championships in Calabar.
Vivian Chukwuemeka (Lifetime ban)
Two-time Olympian and African shot put record holder Vivian Chukwuemeka is serving a lifetime ban for a second doping offence after testing positive for Stanozolol at the 2012 National Championships in Calabar.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games champion and multiple-time African gold medallist had previously served a two-year ban following a 2009 positive test. Her personal best of 18.43m remains the African record in women’s shot put.
Invited players into the Super Eagles B camp ahead of the rescheduled African Nations Championship tournament are feeling the pressure of selection, three days into their training camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The eighth CHAN tournament is taking place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda between August 2 to 20.
Ahead of the tournament, head coach Eric Chelle had invited an initial 35 players to camp and they began training on Monday with 21 players.
Five more players arrived on Tuesday to take the number to 26 while 28 players trained on Wednesday morning with the rest expected before the end of the week.
Captain of the team through the qualifiers, Junior Nduka, spoke about the intensity of the sessions and the jostle to make the final squad.
“Everybody is under pressure but definitely the coaches want the best among the 35 players,” Nduka said.
River United and former Flying Eagles forward, Aniekeme Okon, also admitted the pressure.
“It puts pressure on us, 35 players being invited, everybody is going to give out their best with an expectation of being selected. So we keep pushing.”
Ikorodu City defender, Leonard Ngenge also said, “Obviously, it puts everyone under pressure even myself. But I just need to do my best to be on the coaches’ radar.”
Nigeria, the 2018 runners-up, are in group D of the 19-team tournament, alongside Cup holders Senegal, Sudan and Congo.
The Super Eagles B will play their first two matches of the competition, against Senegal and Sudan, at the Amman Stadium on the island of Zanzibar, before taking on Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Nigeria has never won the tournament, having finished third at the 2014 edition in South Africa before losing the final against hosts Morocco four years later.