An initiative by the Captain of the Nigeria national men basketball team, D'Tigers, Olumide Oyedeji, is set to encourage sportsmen to 'stay in school.'
D’Tigers Captain launches 'stay in school' basketball initiative
The Captain of the Nigeria national men basketball team, D'Tigers, Olumide Oyedeji, is set to encourage sportsmen to 'stay in school' with the Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Championship...
According to reports, Olumide is set to launch the Olumide Oyedeji Intercollegiate Basketball Championship, which is part of his advocacy for sportsmen to get sound education along with playing professional sports.
“We need to create a scenario where going to school and playing sports is attractive that’s why I have decided to start from my constituency which is Basketball by creating a competition amongst the best tertiary institutions in Nigeria be it University, College of Education or Polytechnic," Oyedeji said.
The basketballer said the motivation for his campaign is to revive the culture of school sports programme at the tertiary level which helped him on his way to becoming a professional athlete.
"I remember those years when I played in the Nigerian league, a bulk of us usually met at the NUGA games and that’s why even those who are retired now are all doing good everywhere they are in the world."
He noted there is a need for education among sportsmen.
“It’s worrying to know that a lot of professional sport men in Nigeria today have little or no tertiary education," Oyedeji said.
"Sports only last for a short period of time and when it’s gone what do you fall back on?”
gathered that top tertiary institutions representing the Nigeria University Games (NUGA), Nigeria Polytechnic Games (NIPOGA) and the Nigeria College of Education Games (NACEGA), will participate in the Intercollegiate basketball championship slated for September.
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