The commitment of President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Ahmadu Musa Kida, to grassroots basketball development received another significant boost as Ahmadiyya Platform Basketball Team emerged champions of the 2026 edition of the Ahmadu Musa Kida (AMK) Foundation 3×3 Basketball Tournament held at the Rumfa College Basketball Court in Kano.
The one-day championship, sponsored through the Ahmadu Musa Kida Foundation, is one of several grassroots initiatives championed by Kida for many years. The NBBF president has consistently invested personal resources in youth basketball development for several years, long before his emergence as President of the NBBF.
The tournament reflects one of Kida’s enduring passions—creating opportunities for young talents to discover, develop and showcase their abilities while strengthening the basketball ecosystem from the grassroots level.
In the final, Ahmadiyya Platform Basketball Team defeated the highly-rated Rumfa College side 21-14 to claim the championship trophy and etch their names into the history books as the winners of the 2026 edition of the competition.
Speaking after the final, Kida congratulated the champions and reaffirmed his commitment to grassroots basketball development across Nigeria.
“I congratulate Ahmadiyya Platform Basketball Team for emerging champions of the 2026 edition of this tournament. Competitions like this have consistently produced talented players and future stars for Nigerian basketball, and they will continue to do so. That is why I established the Ahmadu Musa Kida Foundation—to create opportunities for grassroots players, provide a platform for talent discovery, and contribute meaningfully to the growth of basketball in our country,” Kida said.
He added that sustainable investment in youth development remains critical to Nigeria’s aspirations of becoming a dominant force in African and global basketball.
The competition coordinator and former basketball star, Sunusi Shuaibu Badway, expressed satisfaction with the impressive turnout of players, fans and stakeholders at the event.
Badway praised Kida for his continued dedication to the sport and noted that the tournament had demonstrated the enormous potential that exists within grassroots basketball circles in Kano and beyond.
He also called on corporate organizations and affluent individuals to emulate Kida’s example by investing in sports development, stressing that collaborative efforts would accelerate the growth of basketball in the state and across the nation.
Also speaking at the event, veteran basketball player and Kano-based businessman, Tijjani Paki, commended the NBBF President for bringing the competition to Kano.
According to Paki, tournaments of this nature provide young athletes with the motivation and exposure required to sharpen their skills and prepare for future state, national and international competitions.
The championship featured eight teams, with Ahmadiyya Platform ultimately emerging victorious ahead of Rumfa College. Other participating teams included Elevators, Bayero University Kano (BUK), Kabuga Warriors, Bukavu Blinks, Paki Warriors and Sweet Coach Mother.
The event concluded with the presentation of trophies and medals to the winners and runners-up, while the remaining teams received souvenirs in recognition of their participation.
