By Mahdi Waziri Isa
Former NBA champion and executive Masai Ujiri has pledged to support the development of a major sports complex at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, during a visit to the institution.
Ujiri, who owns the multimillion-dollar ‘Zaria Court’ sports complex in Kigali, Rwanda, stated his intention to help the university build a similar facility during a visit to the Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday.
He cited his personal history with the university, having attended primary and secondary school on the ABU campus.
The 2019 NBA champion explained that the purpose of his visit was to discuss “areas of critical need, especially sports entertainment and infrastructure.” Noting that many university facilities had deteriorated, Ujiri stressed the need for reenergising and refurbishing the facilities and expressed his desire for ABU to have “a befitting sports complex akin to the Zaria Court in Kigali.”
Receiving the basketball legend, Vice-Chancellor Professor Adamu Ahmed described the visit as timely, noting that ABU was recently designated by the Nigerian government as a Sports Centre of Excellence. He stated that Ujiri’s initiative “would certainly complement the federal government effort towards sports development in Nigeria.”
Professor Ahmed, who revealed a shared history of playing basketball with Ujiri, including a tournament in South Africa, thanked him for the visit and looked forward to future collaborations. The proposed project aims to position ABU as a leading hub for sports innovation and professional training in Nigeria.