Taraba Assembly Member urges stakeholders to support basketball academies
A member of the Taraba State House of Assembly and Chairman of the Taraba State Basketball Association, Hon. Tanko Abubakar Yusuf, has called on basketball stakeholders across Nigeria to support the Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) in its efforts to revive and reposition the sport at the grassroots.
Hon. Tanko made the call during a two-day coaching clinic organised by the Amateur Basketball Academies in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
He said Taraba State has talented coaches, players and referees capable of competing favourably with their counterparts within and outside Nigeria, stressing the need for stakeholders to remain focused, united and committed to continuous learning.
“We know that we have talented coaches, and so also the players and excellent referees. All we need is to stay focused and be united. We need to seek more knowledge and impact such knowledge on our players.”
The lawmaker commended the ABA for bringing the coaching clinic to Taraba State, describing the initiative as a significant step towards strengthening basketball development in the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Speaking at the event, the President and Founder of the Amateur Basketball Academies and Deputy Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Aliyu Lucky Abubakar, urged participants to embrace the new vision of the association.
He said the theme of the clinic, “DRIVE,” represents five essential qualities every successful basketball coach should possess: Diligence, Respect, Inspiration, Value and Education.
According to him, these qualities are necessary to build a new generation of coaches who can take grassroots basketball in Nigeria to greater heights.
“Our theme, ‘DRIVE,’ represents five essential qualities that every successful basketball coach must possess: diligence, respect, inspiration, value and education. Through these, we can build a new generation of coaches capable of taking grassroots basketball in Nigeria to greater heights.”
DC Aliyu urged the coaches to remain committed to their responsibilities despite the challenges they may face, encouraging them to prioritise the development of young athletes over personal recognition.
“As coaches, we are teachers, mentors, leaders, role models and guardians of the dreams of young athletes. Our responsibility goes beyond the basketball court. We are helping to shape the future of Nigerian basketball and, more importantly, the future of our young people.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Taraba State Sports Development Commission, Coach Bulus Hussaini, who declared the clinic open, challenged the participating coaches to use the knowledge gained from the programme to transform basketball in Taraba State.
He assured the coaches of the state government’s support and assistance whenever required.
A total of 25 academy coaches are participating in the two-day clinic, where they are receiving training on key areas including “Who Is a Coach?”, coaching ethics, player-coach relationships, player development, among other topics.
The organisers said the initiative is aimed at strengthening coaching capacity, promoting grassroots basketball development and creating a sustainable pathway for young talents in Taraba State and Nigeria.
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