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The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has hailed Nigeria’s U-18 boys’ basketball team following their dominant, unbeaten campaign at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, urging the young players to continue developing into the country’s next generation of basketball stars.
The Nigerian team sealed qualification for the 2026 FIBA U-18 AfroBasket Championship in Côte d’Ivoire after winning all four of their matches to emerge Zone 3 champions.
Nigeria opened its campaign with a commanding 96-35 victory over Benin before defeating hosts Burkina Faso 98-54. The team maintained its superiority in the return fixtures, crushing Benin 101-43 and completing the qualifiers with a convincing 100-54 victory over Burkina Faso.
The flawless campaign secured an automatic ticket to the continental championship scheduled for August 3-16, 2026, in Côte d’Ivoire, where the boys will join Nigeria’s U-18 girls’ team, which had earlier qualified.
Commending the players for their outstanding performances, Olopade challenged them not to relent in their pursuit of excellence.
“You should continue to develop your game. Olumide Oyedeji and Akeem Olajuwon were born already.
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As we speak, Sarah Ogoke is born already. All we need to do is to monitor their progress and plan for them,” Olopade said.
President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida, also praised the team’s dominant display, attributing the success to the collective commitment of the federation’s board.
“The NBBF shall continue to lubricate the fan belts of the talent production factories of the game in Nigeria. Our focus remains on improving Nigeria’s growing global status, with greater emphasis on grassroots basketball development,” Kida said.
The federation also acknowledged the support of XEJet Chief Executive Officer, Emmanuel Ayuba Iza, who visited the team in Ouagadougou and called for increased private sector investment in Nigerian basketball to complement the federation’s developmental efforts.
With both the men’s and women’s U-18 teams now qualified for the 2026 FIBA U-18 AfroBasket Championship, Nigeria will be aiming to translate its impressive qualifying performances into continental success in Côte d’Ivoire.
