12 teams from 8 States to compete for honours in CDS Unity Championship
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, (LOC), of the 4th Chief of Defence Staff Unity Basketball Championship, Retired General Abdulahi has assured teams, fans and lovers of the slamming and dunking game, participating at the much-anticipated event of an unforgettable basketball experience.
He stated that the Chief of Defence Staff, General, Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, through the Local Organising Committee has put everything in place to stage a remarkable event with the very best of basketball teams competing at the event.
He gave this assurance during a press briefing on Friday at the NAFRC Officers Mess. He said the Championship will start on the 30th of September and ends on the 5th of October.
“About 250 top basketball players and officials from across SW are expected to participate in this competition and we can assure you it is going to be 6 days of slam-dunk, excitement, thrills and razzmatazz. It is an opportunity for the players to showcase your individual and collective talents and make new friends,” he said.
The 6-day basketball tournament brings together 12 basketball teams drawn from Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo state to the courts of the Teslim Balogun Stadium and the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State.
The list is headed Hoops N' Read BBC of Lagos alongside Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan, Police Baton who ply their trade in the Nigeria Premier Basketball League that is in coma.
“These 12 teams were invited specifically from within the South West geopolitical Zone and 2 other contiguous states of the south West. These teams have been carefully selected based on their rating in the just concluded National Sports Festival held in Ogun State. You can be rest assured of top tier basketball in Lagos,” he stressed.
The team are:
✓ Hoops N' Read BBC
✓ Fountain BBC - Ekiti State
✓ Dordan Warriors - Lagos State
✓ Delta Force - Delta State
✓ Police Baton - Lagos State
✓ Edo Beads - Edo State
✓ University of Ibadan BBC - Oyo State
✓ Ondo Raiders - Ondo State
✓ Osun United BBC - Osundayo State
✓ Ogun Rockets - Ogun State
✓ Sports Nation 365 BBC - Lagos State
✓ Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan
He explained that all participating teams will be kitted by the Organisers and will receive N800,000 as a participation fee.
He further explained that basketball has always had a special place in the heart of General, Christopher Gwabin Musa, and is the driving force behind the championship.
The CDS as a passionate lover of sports and an ardent basketballer has always believed in the power of sports as a uniting factor and force multiplier of peace.
“The objectives of this championship is to among other things, deepen civil – military cooperation, strengthen peaceful co-existence in the SW geopolitical Zone and at the same time engage our teeming youths positively during and after the independence day anniversary.
“This is also in line with the operational philosophy of the Defence HQ on the use of Non-kinetic operations as a tool to enhance peace, security and national development across the country,” he added.
He went to highlight other reasons behind the organisation of the renowned tournament.
“The organisation of this championship aligns with the CDS people centric pillar of General Musa's leadership concept, which is to 'Nurture a Professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is People-Centric, Capable of Meeting its Constitutional Responsibilities in a Joint and Collaborative Environment'. This Pillar leverages the participation of the populace in the overall efforts in countering security challenges as part of our Non-kinetic operations initiatives,” he emphasized.
FIBA Africa Zone 3 is supporting this initiative which is in its 4th edition.
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