By Osaretin Ekiadolor
As part of measures to take kids of the street and help them redirect their energies towards a better future, the Odumu Basket ball programme has said it would partner with relevant bodies to expand opportunities for young Nigerian basketball talents access the $50bn Unites States college basket ball system.
Ogbo Odumu, initiator of the programme who said this to reporters at the weekend said Odumu Basket ball programme would be partnering with the Federal Capital Territory administration to enable the FCT take talented kids off the streets and engage them in meaningful ventures like basket ball.
He said that the kids to be entered for the programme must have demonstrable skill in the game as well maintain high grade in their academics such that the game does not undermine their scholarly capacity.
“College basketball is worth over $50 billion annually in the United State, these schools offer scholarship to students, you go to theses school free of charge if you have talent and brain. They don’t just take slashes you must be good,” he stressed.
Ogbo said that the worst thing that can happen to any society would be to waste the human mind as is replete across the country given the development challenges that face the country but noted that the Odumu Basket ball programme would give some of the children a profitable outlet.
He added that 12 kids have already been accepted into the programme and another two are undergoing screening for admittance, adding that the measure was his way of giving back to the society in which he was trained before he went to the United States to get further training academically and built his basket ball talent along side.
His words: “I started the Odumu basket ball programme three years ago, by providing the kids between the age 14 and 18 to offer them career opportunity in college Basket ball system in the United States Of America.
Am partnering with the Federal Capital Territory to take the kids off the street and a mind is a terrible thing to waste, if you are sitting out there without anything to do you waste the mind and person. If you can bring these kids here you will help them; basket ball gave the opportunity
I needed and am off the street to today, the Oturkpo born Texas resident stated.
Under the programme, Odumu Basket ball has provided the kids with a standard Basket ball court where those trained and deemed qualified are enlisted for participation in the opportunity available in the US college system.
He stressed that the system encourages brain and skills; therefore those to be enlisted are kids with academic and basketball skill promise adding that the average score for admittance is grade “B”.
Ogbo said that 50 shoes and uniforms have been given out to the kids in the FCT and Oturkpo his home town to enable them increase their performance in game and expose the talents among them for future play in the game.
“We have a whole bunch of Nigerian basketball talents in the United States college system, he pointed out.
