Don’t Abandon The Fight To Develop Nigerian Basketball, NIS Boss Tells Igoche

Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu, has urged basketball promoter and Mark D’ Ball Championship initiator, Igoche Mark, to remain committed to developing basketball in Nigeria.

Shaibu made the call on Monday in Abuja when Mark visited the institute to assess basketball coaches undergoing training under his sponsorship.

The NIS boss thanked Mark for investing in the training of coaches and expressed confidence that the partnership would contribute to the development of the sport.

“I want to thank you for stopping by to see some of our students. I am told that you are sponsoring quite a number of them, and I am confident that this partnership will yield results,” Shaibu said.

He stressed the need for greater private-sector participation in sports development, arguing that continued dependence on government funding was no longer sustainable.

“For us at the NIS, we understand that this institute is the engine room of sports. It is responsible for the empowerment of the sporting ecosystem. Anyone working in the sports sector is supposed to pass through here for training,” he said.

“I thank you for what you have done for basketball, and I plead with you: do not give up on basketball.”

Mark, who was at the institute to monitor the progress of the sponsored coaches, commended Shaibu for the transformation he had witnessed at the NIS.

He recalled visiting the institute in 2022 and said the changes since then were significant.

“I came here today to see the basketball coaches undergoing their training programme. I believe this is the first time we are having such a large number here — 20 students,” Mark said.

He explained that many of the trainees were former players transitioning into coaching and needed proper certification to work at international level.

“Without proper certification, they cannot function on the international scene because you cannot sit on the bench without it,” he added.

Mark said his visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration with the NIS and improving the knowledge and qualifications of basketball coaches in Nigeria.

He also disclosed that the Mark D’ Ball Championship would soon establish an academy and expressed interest in using the trained coaches while exploring further collaboration with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Meanwhile, Shaibu disclosed that the NIS had expanded its operations with six zonal centres, one in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

According to him, the Lagos and Abuja centres will offer degree-awarding programmes, while the zonal centres will run Advanced Diploma and Diploma courses. State centres will provide basic certificate programmes.

He added that weekend programmes had also been introduced, while executive online classes are scheduled to commence next year.

Mark encouraged the trainees to maximise the opportunities provided by the NIS and pledged to continue supporting their professional development through further training programmes.