Basketball in Africa

Johnson popularly called OBJ, explained that several factors have made NUGA lose its competitiveness and ability to produce talented players that can represent the country, hence, reliance on foreign based players by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).

"Hosting institutions cannot provide the necessary indoor Basketball Gymnasium and electronic Score-board, game-clock, shot-clock, etc. needed for basketball an international recognized indoor game. Organisers, coaches and referees are always ready to blame someone else for their own in-abilities instead of improving their own skills or learning lessons from previous NUGA Games. Similarly, organisers, coaches and referees are always ready to use their mouth (talk-show) to solve issues instead of the FIBA Rules & Regulations. Everyone is looking for the easiest way to increase income (payment) for less work which need to be done for development).

"Because NUGA Game organizers in its 24th edition 2014 can not fulfill its own Constitutional Objective number 1, "to encourage the development of Sports". To prove my point just compare the two basketball stats sheets of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Players from the 1982 NUGA Games with those of the 2014 NUGA Games of which ABU- won both NUGA Basketball Gold Medals. Considered the 'Home of NUGA basketball'; ABU has won the 'NUGA Gold Medals 13 times men and 10 times women in 24 editions. I am sure you will agree with me that something is seriously wrong with our NUGA basketball project which we should correct now.

He suggested that the way forward in developing the game is to rely on statistics as a means to select the best players, coaches, referees and organizers necessary for national and international assignments.

"In 1982 NUGA, ABU won the basketball gold medal. And from the statistics of the players, there was an average of 72 per cent recorded, while the 2014 edition which ABU also won, recorded an average of the team's performance at 45 per cent," he concluded.