Based on information obtained from the Website of the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow, the first inter-regional basketball championship in Nigeria was held in 1965, although the game was introduced into educational institutions in the 1930s. Football (soccer) and boxing are the two most popular sports in the country (ibid.), however, according to the President of Zone Three of FIBA-Afrique, the governing body for basketball in Africa, Nigeria is considered one of the "basketball powerhouses" of the continent (Telebasket 3 May 2001)

Sylvester Ifekachukwu James, former player and now coach of the Delta Force basketball team, believes that Nigeria's basketball has come of age and is growing rapidly (PM News 20 Aug.2001). However, lack of funding is a continual problem for basketball teams in Nigeria (ibid; ibid. 5 Sept. 2001). The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Jehosaphat Ochi, also cites lack of funds as a problem for Nigerian basketball (ibid. 15 Aug. 2001).

The following information was obtained from a 20 August 2001 PM News article:

Basketball teams in Nigeria include:

Midwest Under-18

Mid-West Senior

Edo State

Lagos State

Benin Beads

University of Benin

Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria)

Kano Pillars

Delta Force (Asaba)

Oluyole Warriors (Ibadan)

D.D. Magic

Yelwa Hawks

Lagos Islanders

Ebun Comets (Akure)

Dodan Warriors

Basketball leagues in Nigeria include: National Division One, National Division Two, National Division Three, National Premier League, Seven-Up Premier Basketball League, Atlantic Conference and the National Female League.

Sports tournaments at which Nigerian basketball teams have participated include: National Sports Festival in Lagos, 1977 Sports Festival in Kaduna, West African Games at the University of Lagos, 1978 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Africa Nations Cup in Dakar, 1984 NUGA Games at the University of Ife, and 1987 All-Africa Games in Nairobi.

Female basketball teams in Nigeria include the Sea Rovers, First Bank, Customs and the Edo Queens (ibid. 27 Sept. 2001). The Sea Rovers are coached by Adewunmi Aderemi (ibid.).

The current Edo State Basketball coach is Tony Emuwen; the coach of the Delta Force of Asaba is Sylvester James; the coach of the Customs is Scott Nnaji (ibid. 20 Aug. 2001). The coach of the Lagos Islanders is Toyin Sonoiki (ibid. 5 Sept. 2001).

The names of the players who participated in the 1998 World Basketball Championship, as well as their place of birth, were found on the Website Basketball.uk.co:

Mohammed Acha (Otukpo)

Peter Aluma (Lagos)

Tunji Femi Awojobi (Lagos)

Oladipo Solomon Ayinla (Lagos)

Yinka Dare (Kano)

Obinna Ekezie (Warri)

Julius Nwosu (Owerri)

Kingsley Ogwudire (Owerri)

Emeka Okenwa (Enugu, NGR)

Dominic Okon (Ibadan)

Robert Daniel Chibu Okonkwo (Lansing, USA)

Godwin Friday Owinje (Maidiguri)

No information on the salaries of basketball players in Nigeria, or the locations where the teams practice or play could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Basketball.uk.co. 1998 World Basketball Championship Team Roster. http://basketball.uk.co/World/nigeria.htm [Accessed 4 October 2001]

Nigerian Embassy Moscow Website. http://nigerianembassy-moscow.ru/nigeria/xsports.html [Accessed 5 October 2001]

PM News [Lagos]. 27 September 2001. "Nigeria; Rover's Coach Advocates for Players' Transfer Fees." (Africa News/NEXIS)

_____. 5 September 2001. Niran Adesanya. "No Premier League in Sight." http://allafrica.com/stories/200109050132.html [Accessed 4 October 2001]

_____. 20 August 2001. Niran Adesanya. "Nigeria; Sylvester James." (Africa News/NEXIS)

_____. 15 August 2001. Niran Adesanya. "Basketball Federation Scribe Hails d'Tigers." http://allafrica.com/stories/200108150102.html [Accessed 5 October 2001]

Telebasket.com. 25 July 2001. Bola Popson. "22 Players Storm D'Tigers Camp." http://africa.telebasket.com/mostranews.asp?id=126284&id_cat=8&cat=8News [Accessed 5 October 2001]

_____. 3 May 2001. Bola Popson. "FIBA-Afrique Official Berates Nigeria Basketball." http://africa.telebasket.com/ENG/mostranews.asp?id=112570&id_cat=8&cat=8News [Accessed 5 October 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

Nigeria Basketball Federation

NEXIS

WNC

Internet sites including:

AfricaOnline

The Guardian

Infonig.com

International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

Motherland Nigeria

Nigeria News

NigeriaWeb

Post Express