D’Tigress star wants focus on grassroots

By Tunde Liadi

D’Tigress’ Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah affirmed that enough has not been done yet to ensure that basketball gets acceptability at grassroots level.

Kunaiyi-Akpanah noted that laying too much emphasis on football at the detriment of other sports especially basketball could be counter-productive, stating that efforts should be geared towards making the sport more viable in Nigeria.

“When you move around the country and see the state of the basketball infrastructures, it will go a long way in telling you the current condition we are in,” Kunaiyi-Akpanah explained in a chat. “So much attention is just drawn to soccer alone even down to the planning stages from the ministries.

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“The need for better TV and media coverage on the game of basketball in Nigeria could not be understated but one ne can hardly locate basketball games on TV and that makes it one of the most difficult sports to follow in this country.”

The Basket Namur Capitale, Belgium player said that more private sectors should come to the rescue of basketball so that the sport won’t die a natural death if it is continued to be left in the hands of government.