Basketball

BetKing Wheelchair Basketball 3×3 National Championship to Jump Off in April

Published

2 months ago

March 27, 2025

The highly anticipated BetKing Wheelchair Basketball 3×3 National Open Championship is set to take place at the Lake Sports Centre, Ijeja, Abeokuta, Ogun State, from April 3 to 4, 2025.

The championship, backed by BetKing’s sponsorship, marks a major boost for wheelchair basketball, which is rapidly growing into one of Nigeria’s premier para-sports.

Speaking ahead of the event, the President of the Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Federation (NWBF) expressed profound gratitude to BetKing for their unwavering support.

“On behalf of Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball, the entire board, and every stakeholder in the sport, I want to personally appreciate BetKing for all they are doing. When we approached them, it felt as though they were already expecting us. Their immediate willingness to support us shows they truly understand Nigeria’s sports history and the vital role Special Sports have played in the country’s international successes over the years,” he said.

The NWBF President emphasized the need for greater corporate involvement in para-sports, noting that such partnerships complement the government’s ongoing efforts to restructure and revitalize Nigerian sports.

With the National Sports Commission (NSC) leading reforms, he called on more organizations to follow BetKing’s example by investing in adaptive sports.

The championship also serves as an important avenue to scout players for the national team, as Nigeria gears up for the Commonwealth Games qualifiers later this year in South Africa.

The President expressed optimism about Nigeria’s chances of securing a historic spot at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, crediting BetKing’s support for helping the team build momentum.

The BetKing Wheelchair Basketball 3×3 National Open Championship will feature elite wheelchair basketball players from across the country, showcasing their skills and resilience in a competition that promotes inclusivity and celebrates athletic excellence. Fans and sports enthusiasts are encouraged to attend and witness the thrilling display of talent and determination.

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Basketball

Senate Set to Endorse 30% Value Addition Requirement for Raw Materials

Published

2 weeks ago

May 20, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Nigerian Senate has assured Nigerians and Africans that the 30% raw materials bill would be passed this week and transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio gave the assurance on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Africa Raw Materials Summit 2025, held on Tuesday in Abuja, with the theme, “Shaping the Future of Africa’s Resource Landscape.”

Speaking through the Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Sen. Aminu Abbas, Akpabio said, “I can assure you that the 30% value addition bill before the Senate will be passed this week and transmitted to the House Representatives for concurrence.”

Earlier in his speech, he said, “In the Nigerian Senate, we have resolved to be proactive in addressing this structural imbalance. It is in this spirit that I reaffirm our full legislative backing for the 30% Minimum Value-Addition Bill, currently under consideration. This groundbreaking bill mandates that no raw material of Nigerian origin shall be exported without undergoing a minimum of 30% local value addition—whether through processing, refining, packaging, or industrial transformation.

“This legislation is not intended to stifle trade; rather, it is designed to ignite domestic enterprise, create jobs, attract capital, and build resilient value chains that benefit our people.”

“We must reject the historic pattern in which Africa merely supplies inputs while others reap the benefits of innovation, branding, and global market control.” he added.

“It is my hope that this model will be replicated across African nations, with regional centres of excellence established to share data, technologies, and best practices in raw material development.”

He used the opportunity to call on African countries to replicate the legislation in their countries to boost their economies.

“Permit me, therefore, to echo the call for the adoption of an Abuja Declaration on Raw Materials and Industrial Transformation in Africa. Let this declaration not merely reside in summit communiqués but become a living charter—a reference for executive action, legislative alignment, and investment mobilisation.

“Let it guide our representations at the African Union, the G20, and global trade forums where Africa’s voice must no longer be that of a supplier, but that of a producer,” he said.

The Minister of Science Innovation and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Innaji, speaking through the Minister of Transport, said “We are deploying digital tools, traceability infrastructure, and research-to-industry pathways to strengthen intra-African trade under AfCFTA. This is how Africa moves from extraction to transformation—from potential to prosperity.

“Let this summit send a clear message: Africa will no longer export its future in raw form. Our minerals will power industries, our crops will feed global markets, and our youth will drive innovation,” he said.

On his part, the Minister of State for Industry, John Owen, in his speech noted that, “with African continental free trade area, I believe that a lot of opportunities are already being opened to see how we can do much more than we are currently doing, and the statistics in terms of export trade should be less in terms of exporting raw materials and more in terms of exporting finished goods.”

Commenting on the Summit, the Director General Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Mounso, in his speech said, “Today, in the heart of Africa, we gather not merely for a summit, but for a solemn declaration: Africa shall no longer be the warehouse of raw potential, but the workshop of refined prosperity.”

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