Sponsoring wheelchair basketball, a promise to physically challenged players – Ochei

The dwindling economic situation not withstanding, former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Victor Ochei, says his passion for the game of wheelchair basketball would never die.

For the past five years, Ochei had single-handedly bankrolled the sponsorship of wheelchair basketball in the country. Through the Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship, many physically challenged players in Nigeria and some West African countries, including Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic, have seen reasons to celebrate in the midst of other sports men and women.

However, with the biting economic situation, which had forced many Nigerians to abandon some basic things, there was initial fear that the fifth edition of the championship might suffer a setback this year.

But Ochei says he would do everything to fulfill the promise he made to the physically challenged players.

Speaking with The Guardian, the President of Wheelchair Basketball Federation of Nigeria, former Ogun State Sports Commissioner, Bukola Olopade, revealed that Ochei did not only direct the federation to stage the fifth edition from September 19-24, but also insisted that the prize money should remain the same.

“I felt emotionally weak, when Victor Ochei told me to go ahead with every arrangement for the fifth edition of the championship. I thought he would call for a postponement considering the bad economic situation in the country,” he said.

Olopade revealed that the federation had spent over N200 million in sponsoring wheelchair basketball players to various competitions in the last five years, with only N7 million coming from the sports ministry.

“It is so painful that the sports ministry is not living up to its responsibility,” he said. “Victor Ochei made it possible for Team Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Teams (male and female) to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers in Algeria. He bought our tickets, footed the hotel bills, paid allowances and also paid the participation fees of $10,000 for Team Nigeria. Ochei even went ahead to borrow the sports ministry N7 million, which they (sports ministry) had promised us. Till today, that money had not been refunded to him. It is a pity,” Olopade said.

15 states and three West African countries, Togo, Ghana and Benin Republic, will take part in the fifth Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship slated for the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.