Former American professional basketball player Michael Masai Ujiri has pledged to upgrade sports facilities and further enhance development at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, following his visit to the university.
The 2013 NBA Executive and his team had come to congratulate Professor Adamu Ahmed on his appointment as ABU Vice-Chancellor, whom he said they had a past together as basketball players.
Ujiri, also a 2019 NBA champion, owns the Zaria Court in Kigali, Rwanda, a multimillion-dollar sports complex, featuring a basketball court, a gym, a mini outdoor running track, a sports bar, a swimming pool, and a hotel facility for accommodation.
Ujiri, who was born in the UK to Nigerian and Kenyan parents, was raised in Nigeria, where he attended Staff School and Demonstration Secondary School, both at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Briefing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ahmed, on the purpose of his visit to Ahmadu Bello University, Ujiri said he came to discuss areas of critical need, particularly sports entertainment and infrastructure around the university.
The professional basketball player said he and Prof. Ahmed had a past together and therefore needed to have a conversation and also explore areas where he could contribute to the growth of the institution.
He observed that many facilities in the university had fallen into disrepair and were no longer in use.
Ujiri stressed the need to reenergize and refurbish the facilities for the University to gain more from them.
The basketball legend advocated for the promotion of sports development within the Institution, stating that ABU should be at the forefront in this regard.
Ujiri said he wanted ABU to have a befitting sports complex akin to the Zaria Court in Kigali, Rwanda, a sports entertainment infrastructure that he built for sports development.
The basketball player said he grew up in ABU and thought about it every day, saying he hoped to bring his wife and kids on his subsequent visit to Nigeria.
He thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception accorded him and members of his entourage.
Receiving the basketball legend, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ahmed, expressed gratitude to Masai Ujiri for the visit, which he described as special to him in particular and the university in general.
The Vice-Chancellor said Ujiri’s visit to ABU was timely, as the Nigerian government had recently designated the university as one of the eight sports centres of excellence.
According to Ahmed, Ujiri’s decision to help the university upgrade its sports infrastructure would definitely support the federal government’s efforts towards sports development in Nigeria.
Prof Ahmed believed that the ABU Sports Centre of Excellence, if well positioned, could close the gap by acting as a platform for innovation, professional training, and the commercialisation of sports.
He remembered when he tried to persuade Ujiri to join the Nigerian Basketball Team.
The Vice-Chancellor also recalled that he, Ujiri and a few others travelled to Pretoria in South Africa for a basketball tournament, after which they secured a ticket to the World Cup in Japan, where they nearly reached the quarter-finals.
Prof Ahmed expressed his sincere gratitude to Ujiri for the visit and looked forward to welcoming him again in the future.
It is also remembered that after ending his professional playing career in 2002, Ujiri worked as a youth coach in Nigeria.
The renowned basketball legend admired Hakeem Olajuwon, a former NBA star who is Nigerian.
