Udezue Backs Abdullahi For NBBF Presidency, Calls For Commercial Overhaul

Former Nigeria international basketball player and sports executive Ugo Udezue has thrown his weight behind Dr Mustapha Abdullahi’s bid for the presidency of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), arguing that the sport needs stronger commercial structures, infrastructure and professional management.

Udezue, who has played for Nigeria at youth and senior levels and worked as an NBA-certified agent, said his experience across different areas of basketball had convinced him that the country’s biggest asset was its talent, but that the sport needed a viable business structure around it.

In a statement titled “The Business of the Game: Why Dr Mustapha Abdullahi Is My Choice to Lead Nigerian Basketball”, Udezue said Nigeria had the population, players and sporting pedigree to become a major force in African basketball but risked missing out on the growing commercial opportunities in the game.

“Nigeria has never lacked talent. What it needs is an enterprise around the talent. That is why my choice to lead the NBBF is Dr Mustapha Abdullahi,” he said.

Udezue pointed to the expansion of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and increasing investment in African basketball as evidence of the commercial opportunities available to Nigeria.

He said the BAL had generated more than $250 million in GDP contributions for host countries since 2021 and supported about 37,000 jobs, while citing projections of $5.4 billion and more than 650,000 jobs for the NBA by 2034.

He argued that Nigeria, with a population of more than 220 million and a large youthful population, should be positioned to attract a greater share of the investment flowing into African basketball.

“Rwanda has 14 million people. Nigeria has more than 220 million, half of them under nineteen,” Udezue said.

He also highlighted Nigeria’s international pedigree, noting the number of Nigerian players in the NBA and the success of the D’Tigress, who have won five consecutive AfroBasket titles and are ranked eighth in the world.

Udezue said the next NBBF administration should prioritise infrastructure, governance, commercial development, digitisation and private investment.

He proposed the development of multi-purpose arenas across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones through partnerships involving state governments and private capital.

On governance, he called for clear statutes, audited accounts, honoured contracts and reliable competition calendars, arguing that transparency and stability would be essential to attracting investors.

He also described the country’s leagues and national teams as commercial properties that should be managed professionally through long-term planning, media rights, sponsorship and diaspora scouting.

Udezue further advocated a national digital database covering players, coaches, referees and clubs, alongside digital platforms for competitions, live statistics, streaming and talent identification.

“Data is what sponsors, broadcasters and investors buy, and it is the simplest route to transparency,” he said.

He argued that government funding alone could not sustain the growth of Nigerian basketball and called on the federation to create an environment capable of attracting private equity and investment into clubs, arenas and academies.

Udezue said Abdullahi’s professional background made him suited to managing such an agenda, pointing to his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Manchester and his position as Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.

“Budgets, audits, infrastructure, international partners and the politics of Abuja are his daily work. That is the skill the next phase of Nigerian basketball demands,” he said.

Beyond Abdullahi’s professional qualifications, Udezue said his support was also based on knowing him personally for more than two years and observing his involvement in grassroots basketball.

He cited Abdullahi’s DAM Foundation Championship in Okene, which he said provides competitive basketball outside the traditional centres of Lagos and Abuja.

Udezue also called for former internationals and other basketball professionals to have greater influence over technical matters, national teams and youth development under the next administration.

He said Abdullahi could also help bridge divisions within the basketball community by creating space for state associations, coaches, referees, former internationals, diaspora stakeholders and other groups.

“Nigerian basketball is too small for enemies and too big for any one group to carry alone,” he said.

The NBBF Congress is scheduled to elect a new leadership on 15 October, with Udezue urging delegates to consider the direction of the sport as they choose the federation’s next president.