Former D’Tigers star and NBA draftee, Ejike Christopher Ugboaja, has declared his intention to contest for the presidency of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), promising major reforms to revive the sport in the country.

 Ugboaja made his declaration at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, saying his decision was motivated by his long-standing involvement in Nigerian basketball and his desire to tackle the persistent challenges affecting the development of the sport.

 The 2012 Olympian, who made history in 2006 as the first player to be drafted into the NBA directly from the Nigerian domestic league, said former players had not done enough to address the challenges confronting the federation.

 He said his decision to contest was aimed at taking direct responsibility for driving change in Nigerian basketball.

 Ugboaja outlined a three-point agenda centred on league development, grassroots growth and electoral transparency.

 Regular and Competitive League

 Ugboaja criticised the current format of the domestic league, particularly the short duration of competition, and proposed an eight-month Premier League season to provide players with sustained competitive action.

 “We cannot continue to play two-week leagues when we know how basketball is organised abroad,” he said.

 He argued that a longer league season would give players more opportunities to develop their skills and compete at a higher level.

 Grassroots Development

 The former D’Tigers player also promised to strengthen grassroots basketball by expanding the sport into secondary schools and universities.

 According to him, his administration would seek to establish clearer pathways for locally based players to progress into the national team setup.

 Free and Transparent Elections

 Ugboaja also called for a free, transparent and inclusive 2026 NBBF election, insisting that the federation’s constitution should not be used to determine or restrict who is allowed to participate in the electoral process.

 “I am not a politician. I am not in government. I am a basketball player, and I want to fix Nigerian basketball because I want to take more young people off the streets,” Ugboaja said.

 He added that since returning to Nigeria, he had committed his personal resources to supporting players and grassroots basketball programmes, despite not receiving government backing.