Renowned basketball promoter, Igoche Mark, is seeking collaboration with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) to enhance scholarship opportunities for basketball players seeking tertiary education.
Mark, initiator of the Mark D Ball Basketball Championship, paid a courtesy visit to ABU’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Adamu Ahmed, to discuss potential partnerships in supporting basketball development.
During the visit, Mr. Mark emphasized the importance of combining education and sports, highlighting ABU’s exemplary role in offering scholarships to basketball players.
Mark said, “This university has led in terms of offering scholarships to basketball players. I am glad other universities have now started following your footsteps,” citing Nile University in Abuja as an example.
He expressed gratitude for ABU’s efforts in promoting basketball and pledged to continue supporting young players through education.
Mark stated “Education remains the appropriate foundation for anyone because it helps secure the future. We see how we can increase the numbers of basketball players on scholarships in this great institution,” ..
Professor Ahmed appreciated Mr. Mark’s consistent efforts in promoting basketball, noting his significant contributions to the sport.
He said “I appreciate you for taking time to support basketball. You are the future, in fact, you are the present. The confusion around basketball is too much and it’s unnecessary; basketball is more than a physical sport, there’s big business of entertainment around it,” .
The Vice Chancellor expressed ABU’s willingness to support Mr. Mark’s programs, citing the need for unity among stakeholders to drive basketball development.
Prof Ahmed assured ” You can always bring your programs here and we will support you because I represent you,” .
This partnership aims to build on ABU’s existing basketball support program, by increasing the numbers of basketball players seeking scholarship opportunities, as Igoche Mark seeks to resurrect the dream of Felix Akiga of establishing a basketball academy in ABU.
