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A year ago, girls at Ajigbeda Girls Secondary School in Lagos State knew next to nothing about the game of basketball and getting a chance to represent the state at a national championship was the last thing on their minds.

All that has changed.

Ajigbeda Girls Secondary School won the recently held finals of the Milo Basketball Championships for Lagos State and thus secured the ticket to represent the state at the next stage of the tourney, which is the Western Conference scheduled to come up in June at Ibadan.

For the young girls who say they are ready to fly the state’s flag high at the basketball event, it is all thanks to the Hope4Girls foundation.

“I feel very happy and grateful to the coaches and Hope 4Girls for all their support” a member of the team disclosed.

Akiode’s project

A brain child of former Nigerian basketball player, Mobolaji Akiode, ‘Hope 4 Girls’ is dedicated to the increased participation and empowerment of disadvantaged young African women in sports and education. Because of the initiative and the desire to help the coming generation of women, Akiode said she quit her accounting job at American Cable sports company, ESPN and returned to Nigeria to set up the basketball camp to help young girls in the country. She had been a member of the 2004 Nigerian Olympic basketball team.

“This is such a great achievement mainly because a year ago this school didn’t even have a basketball team and with just a little support from us the girls really showed how much they love basketball and hope4girls!,” Akiode said.

The former WNBA star added:

“Although we would have had more schools enter, our academy currently works with eight schools. It’s just unfortunate those games masters are not as dedicated as we are and are holding the girls back. My motto has always been giving these children an opportunity to explore their creativity and you will see greatness in them.

“As for me I’m just so proud of them and their hard work, they make me feel like I should do more and support more. To me they are champions and anything that happens in the regional is icing on the cake,” she added.

Making a champion

Iyabo Yusuf, lead camp administrator of the foundation further explained the journey at making the new champions.

“Hope4girls introduced basketball to eight girls secondary schools in District IV of Lagos State Educational Board in March 2010 during the Princess Classic Camp and Ajigbeda Girls Secondary School happens to be one of the schools,” she said.

“The students of these said schools have never played basketball before, and after the camp, about 200 girls were enrolled into the Princess Academy from the eight schools”.

As part of Hope4Girls’ plan to empower young Nigerian girls through sports and education, the organisation reduced the 200 girls to 60 girls using their academic performances and commitment to the game as part of the criteria for the screening. Sixteen girls from Ajigbeda Girls Secondary School scaled the screening and their performance in the Hope4Girls academy has been remarkable.

Other schools in the academy include; Ideal, New Era, Wesley, Gbaja, Itolo, Clegg and Surulere Girls Secondary Schools.

Iyabo noted that emerging as champions wasn’t a stroll in pack the Ajigbeda Girls.

“The challenges were posed mostly (by the) District VI representative, which is Ilupeju Grammar school; this school has been representing Lagos State in the Western Conference for the last three years with a bunch of experienced players compared to the girls that started the game a year ago. But with the help of God and hard work of our coaches, we were able to defeat Ilupeju in the final 15-10 points”.

Looking ahead

Already looking ahead, Iyabo said the new goal is making it to the next stage of the championship, which is the Western Conference scheduled to come up in June at Ibadan, Oyo State.

“We are in the same zone with Delta, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi and Osun States.

Looking at the vast experience of Oyo and Delta in the game, we are working out a strategy on how to pick a ticket to the national level of the championship,” she said.

For Iyabo, the outstanding player is the captain of the team, Saidat Ali, 14, of Senior Secondary (SS)2. She led the team to victory with her last minute 3 pointer.

Aside the latest feat by the foundation the body had last year also helped two girls secure scholarships to study in the United States amongst other projects it is presently executing.

At the moment, Akiode, is he reliving her experiences as a blogger with ESPN where she talks about experiences like the one she is currently having at the National Youth Service Camp in Abuja.

“I created Hope4Girls to try to better the lives of underprivileged girls. The game of basketball was great to me, and I want to share with others the opportunities it gave me. Of course, I’m not the first athlete to try to inspire others. [But] I want Hope4Girls to have the same impact as many other conscientious charities by athletes, which tackle poor education, address social inequalities and inspire youth.

“Trying to run H4G hasn’t been easy. If you think getting support for girls’ sports is difficult in America, you can’t even imagine the bigger obstacles in trying it in Nigeria. But as the great Muhammad Ali would say, “Impossible is nothing!”