Ahead of their next encounter in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare has met the male national basketball team, D’Tigers to thank and encourage them for doing Nigeria proud and starting a silent revolution in the country’s basketball development.
During the virtual meeting with the team and its officials on Tuesday, the Minister assured the players of continued government, corporate and citizens’ support.
He said, “Coach Mike Brown, like I said, I can’t thank you enough. I am glad I watched the games, every other single game I’ve watched, I watched last one. This is a winning team. I know you will take care of business. I can only wish you the very best as you prepare for the next two games and I’m sure that you will do this country proud. You guys bring it on. You got the skills, you got the commitment, you got the experience and I just want to wish you well.”
The Minister revealed that the team’s performance has started a silent revolution in the development of basketball in Nigeria.
Mr. Dare enthused, “I want to say that you have also ignited a revolution for basketball in Nigeria. You don’t know what you have started.
“As a Ministry, as a Minister we are committed to Project 109. Project 109, which is yet to start, because we are going to need the Kida-led team and you particularly, we have 109 senatorial districts in Nigeria, 109 senatorial districts each represented by one senator.
“Project 109 is aimed at building one basketball court in every senatorial district and manning each of those courts with coaches so that we can start to get talents and young ones that want to play basketball from the grassroots and graduate then through the amateur league to professional league.
“We think if we start that early enough, we can start to have younger basketballers come up. That is our own contribution to basketball development but of course we know that the federation will do more, we will work with you,” he stressed.
3 Comments
You are a very shameless idiot, mr minister. Whilst our sports sector is in total shambles, you are busy making unnecessary calls to a team made up of players who were groomed outside the shores of the country meaning that you did absolutely nothing to ensure the development of the sport back home. Is it not a shame that we as a country with millions of talented people still have a 45 year old representing us at the Olympics???? You should be ashamed of yourself mr minister. Sit your ass down and work and stop being an assistant coach to our teams. That’s not what you were appointed to do, mr man and stop talking like a worn out bearing. You talk too much!!! We need action, not queens English. Shameless idiots!!!!!
Here comes the saddist again hurling insults at the wrong person for doing the right thing. LMAO like father like son not surprised you’re also ranting here when you know nothing!
This project 109, abi na project 419, are there any plans to do something similar for football? Are there any plans to upgrade our stadia and improve facilities to world class standards, manage the league properly so it becomes profitable, see to the welfare of local players, work closely with the NFF to ensure that our football is properly administered and waste is minimized?
So much praise and encouragement for the D’Tigers, a team comprised mostly if not entirely of American born talents, yet when it comes to the SE, there is all these noise about LOCAL CONTENT. And the SE coach is being attacked for doing the same thing the D’Tigers handlers have done – USE THE BEST TALENTS AVAILABLE WHEREVER THEY MAY BE LOCATED!!!