Reviving Nigerian basketball requires unity of purpose – Igoche Mark

By Jude Opara Abuja

Renowned basketball promoter and initiator of the Mark”D” Championship, Mr. Igoche Mark, has called for unity among the stakeholders, saying such is the only way to develop and grow basketball in the country.

Mark who was speaking on Arise TV’s Global Sports Programme on Sunday, noted that internal conflicts and lack of cohesion are major obstacles hindering basketball’s progress in Nigeria.

“Currently, one of our biggest problems is internal fighting, lack of unity. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Nigeria basketball stakeholders need to come together and put aside personal agendas,” he said.

The prominent basketball proprietor who is determined to spearhead efforts to unite basketball stakeholders, highlighted the common goal that should bind everyone involved in the sport.

“No doubt, we all have something in common, which is passion for basketball, irrespective of our differences. This is me saying, let’s put aside all our differences and come together in one voice in order to advance the sport. We have a whole lot more to contribute; we need to put down a structure to guide, and we need to focus on development. There is a need to close that disparity between our prowess on the international scene and that of our domestic league,” he stated.

Mark who is also the proprietor of Mark Mentors basketball team promised to lead efforts to bring stakeholders to the table. “Going forward, we need to talk, we need to start mending fences for basketball to make progress,” he concluded.

Other panelists on the show, including Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Board Member and Olympian Olumide Oyedeji, and basketball promoter Ugo Udueze, echoed Mark’s sentiments, insisting that only a united front is essential for the advancement of Nigerian basketball.