The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Premier League has come under criticism from former board member, Osita Nwachukwu, proprietor of Novena Basketball Heartland Club and Novena Queens.
Nwachukwu lamented the league’s abridged format for three consecutive years.
“For how many seasons now, we’ve been running a 12-day league in Nigeria and everybody is comfortable with it.
No promotion, no relegation, what a country,” Nwachukwu said.
He emphasized the need for a regular season, functional divisions, standard venues, and harmonized calendar and transfer policies.
Ex-D’Tigers player Osita Nwachukwu advocates for Nigerian basketball clubs to meet international standards.
He proposes:
– Stage a regular season
– Get the first and second divisions of the leagues working
– Standard venues for all League games
– Harmonize calendar and transfer system and policy
– Set acceptable international and attainable standards for clubs
“I’m telling you the truth, this idea will work anytime, anywhere.
When I was there, these were some of the ideas we came up with. I said, these things can be done,” Nwachukwu stated.
Specific club standards include:
– Standard camping facilities
– Modern and reliable transportation arrangements
– Good medical personnel and equipment
– Certified coaching staff and media unit
– Financial base of at least 50 million naira
– Effective communication unit, website, and social media handles
– Clubs registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with an active board and management structure
Nwachukwu stressed that private initiatives have kept basketball alive in Nigeria but cannot drive growth.
“We should encourage people with resources to do it the right way.
Then you’ll see results instead of putting sentiments in between,” he said.
Novena Heartland Basketball Club and 15 other teams are participating in the Chief of Defence Staff Basketball Championship in Abuja.
