By Emmanuel Fateman
Ejike Ugboaja Foundation (EUF) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that provides sports-education opportunities to young Nigerians. The foundation has successfully supported over 200 young Nigerians with athletic scholarships – to get an education, while playing basketball or American football in the United States of America (USA).
EUF was founded in 2005 by Ejike Ugboaja – an NBA professional basketball player. Rising from his humble beginnings in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Nigeria, and presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, he was the ¬rst in the history of the NBA to be directly drafted to play from Africa. In a quest to re-enact this life altering opportunity to aspiring and talented Africans, he established the foundation to give back.
Vision
“To inspire, assist, and provide future generations of Nigerians with the tools and resources necessary to pursue their academic and athletic dreams both at home and abroad.
Mission
“To facilitate 1, 500 athletic-scholarships for young Nigerians over the next 5 Years.”
Ethos
“The foundation is committed to providing career and educational opportunities for Nigerian youths through educational scholarships in leading high schools, colleges and universities in the United States.”
Why We Are Doing This
Over 65% of Nigeria’s 200 million people fall below the age of 35 years. This young population is potentially a double-edged sword with the capacity to make or mar the country. A lack of opportunities and a sense of purpose coupled with a large population of young people are the “social combustible components” that can have far reaching consequences on Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Basketball is one of the most popular games in the world and is played in 213 countries, with some of the most recognizable athletes in the world. It is one of the leading sports in Nigeria (secondary to soccer) with thousands of Nigerian youths turning up to watch and play, while aspiring for opportunities to play in greener pastures.
For this purpose, EUF seeks to inspire, assist, and provide the Nigerian youths with the opportunity to pursue their dreams of acquiring education and athletics. With the cycle of lack of quality education, youth unemployment and poverty prevailing in Nigeria, the opportunity of quality education, coupled with a possible career in sports has been an alternative the foundation always seeks to o er to the youths. We embody the principles of sports and education as potential pillars of youth empowerment in Nigeria.
How We Are Creating Impact
EUF runs a basketball and American football education support program, which helps young Nigerians who participate in its training camps; access athletics (basketball and football) scholarships into colleges, universities and private high schools in the United States.
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship given to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport.
