Ejike Ugboaja, the Athletes Representative on the board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, has assured players in the country that their welfare would be prioritised when signing agreements with league sponsors.
Ugboaja gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja during a meeting he held with basketball players in the Savannah Conference.
Ugboaja, ex-D’Tigers and ex-NBA Star, also played for Kano Pillars and Mark Mentors between 2014 and 2016.
According to him, Nigerian leagues will not get better until every player is adequately considered in the sponsorship.
He noted that without players, there would be no NBBF, adding: “I have played in the NBBF league before and I played in the NBA too.
“What we suffered then are still being suffered now.
“As we are preparing for leagues in November, players welfare will be better enhanced from the sponsorship.
“The least player will be on a reasonable salary so that he or she can give his or her best.
“The players need to be adequately catered for so that in case of injury, they can be taken care of.
“All these will be addressed.”
On the issue of facilities, Ugboaja said courts for leagues would be repaired before the competitions commence.
Similarly, Deshi Dalung, Coaches/Technical Officials Representative in the NBBF, said the board would ensure proper officiating of matches and that officials would be penalised for established cases of poor officiating.
Some of the players told newsmen after the meeting that they looked forward to the actualisation of the agenda of the board.
Zenith Bank Plc has been sponsoring the Women’s Premiership League, while Kwese Sports sponsored the Men’s Premiership League in 2017.
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