David Fizdale explains why he chose the D’Tigers position as coach and aims to return to the Africa summit

D’Tigers head coach David Fizdale has revealed why he accepted the challenge of leading Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, insisting his mission is to return the former African champions to the top of basketball on the continent.

The former NBA head coach, who previously coached the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks and served as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns, said he viewed the D’Tigers job as too good a challenge to ignore after stepping away from coaching in the NBA.

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Fizdale has already made an encouraging start in Nigeria, guiding D’Tigers to a perfect record in the recent FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, with wins over Tunisia, Guinea and Rwanda to revive the country’s qualification hopes.

“After taking a break from coaching in the NBA, this was a challenge I couldn’t refuse. I accepted the job because I believe we can make D’Tigers one of the best teams in Africa again,” said Fizdale.

The American tactician said he would never have accepted the position if he did not believe he could have a significant impact, and emphasized that rebuilding a team with Nigeria’s rich basketball tradition was a challenge that motivates him.

Nigeria remains one of Africa’s most successful basketball nations, having won the FIBA ​​AfroBasket 2015 title and represented the continent at multiple Olympic Games and FIBA ​​World Cups. However, recent struggles saw D’Tigers drop down the continental standings prior to Fizdale’s appointment.

“I wouldn’t have taken this job if I wasn’t ready to work. The early signs have been positive, but we still have a long way to go,” he added.

Fizdale praised the commitment shown by his players during the recent qualifying window and noted that the team has adopted his philosophy despite having limited time together.

After an unbeaten start under his leadership, the D’Tigers coach believes Nigeria has the talent, character and ambition to return to the top of African basketball and become a consistent force on the world stage.

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        Introduction  A free, independent, and vibrant press is one of the strongest pillars of any democratic society. It is against this background that most democratic countries  make constitutional provisions for a free press . Others even go further to enact specific laws to make affairs of governments freely available to the public. Currently, there are more than  130 countries in the world that have free press laws. They include Sweden, United States, France, South Africa and Nigeria. Nigeria did not only make  constitutional provisions in Sections 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended) but also went ahead to enact the Freedom of Information Act  in 2011. Section 22 of the 1999  Constitution states: “ “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media  shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter( ie Chapter II) and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people”  Section 39(1)  of same Constitution states : “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference” ..  To complement these constitutional provisions, Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) states “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.” while Section  2(2), states that: “A public institution shall ensure the proper organization and maintenance of all information in its custody in a manner that facilitates public access to such information”  Primary Purpose of FOIA  According to the Act, its primary purpose is to make information about public records freely available to every Nigerian in the public interest. …

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