The Obuama boys of KASA, the basketball team, groomed and mentored by Da Amakiri Tubo, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, Amanyanabo of The Source, Elem Kalabari, Torusarama Piri have made
history as national champions at Nigeria’s most prestigious MILO secondary school basketball championship,
King Amachree Sports Academy, (KASA) of Obuama, Rivers State, and Government Secondary School (GSS), Gboko, Benue State, emerged champions of the boys’ and girls’ categories respectively as the curtain fell on the 26th Nestlé MILO Secondary Schools Basketball Championship at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on Thursday.
While GSS Gboko cruised to a convincing victory in the girls’ final by 68-36 points, the boys’ title was decided by one of the most dramatic finishes in the competition’s history, with King Academy Sports Academy staging a stunning comeback to edge defending champions Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, 56-54.
The championship, which attracted the best secondary school teams from across Nigeria after months of regional qualifiers, once again underlined MILO’s long-standing investment in grassroots basketball and youth development.
This is the 7th year of KASA’s participation in the youth basketball tournament.
The academy, founded by Da Amakiri Tubo, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, Amanyanabo of The Source, Elem Kalabari and Torusarama Piri, is set to undergo a comprehensive upgrade through a strategic partnership with EEXSport Digital Company Limited, one of Nigeria’s foremost sports management and development firms headed by veteran sports broadcaster and administrator Emeka Enyadike.
The announcement comes on the heels of KASA’s remarkable victory at the 26th Nestlé MILO Secondary Schools Basketball Championship, where the Rivers State academy stunned defending champions Father O’Connell Science College, Minna, with a dramatic 56-54 victory to claim the national title.
The triumph marked a defining moment for the academy and validated years of investment by Dokubo-Asari in youth development through education and sports. The championship attracted the best secondary school basketball teams from across Nigeria after months of regional qualifiers, with KASA emerging as the country’s new boys’ champions.
Speaking after the historic victory, Dokubo-Asari described the achievement as only the beginning of a much bigger vision.
“We are proud of what these young boys have accomplished, but our ambition goes far beyond winning national championships. Our goal is to build an institution that will consistently produce champions, scholars and leaders who can compete anywhere in the world,” he said.
To realise that vision, the academy has entered into a five-year strategic partnership with EEXSport Digital Company Limited, a sports consultancy with extensive experience in sports management, commercial development, athlete pathways and international partnerships.
At the centre of the transformation is Emeka Enyadike, one of Africa’s most accomplished sports professionals. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Enyadike has earned recognition as a sports broadcaster, football analyst, publisher, sports marketer, club administrator and development consultant.
He was among the pioneers who helped shape modern sports journalism and football administration in Nigeria through his work in television, sports publishing and football management. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EEXSport Digital Company Limited, he has advised sports institutions, federations and private organisations on sports business, sponsorship, media strategy, athlete development and international collaborations.
His experience and global network are expected to play a pivotal role in repositioning King Amachree Sports Academy as one of West Africa’s leading centres of sports and academic excellence.
Under the agreement, EEXSport will oversee technical management, operational development, educational enhancement, commercial strategy, sponsorship, marketing and international partnerships, while ownership and governance of the academy remain with Dokubo-Asari and the Academy’s Board.
The transformation programme is built around six strategic pillars—academic excellence, sports excellence, leadership development, international pathways, community impact and financial sustainability.
Beyond strengthening existing programmes in basketball, football, athletics, swimming, volleyball, handball and tennis, the academy will adopt a holistic “Play, Study and Progress” model that integrates quality education with leadership development, digital skills and career preparation.
A major feature of the initiative is the creation of an International Athlete Pathways Programme, designed to expose outstanding students to European training camps, international showcases, scholarships and professional club placements. Through EEXSport’s global relationships, talented athletes from Obuama will have direct access to opportunities that could launch international sporting careers.
Sports analysts believe the partnership represents one of the most significant private-sector investments in sports education in the Niger Delta in recent years, combining visionary leadership with professional sports management to create a sustainable model for athlete development.
For Dokubo-Asari, however, the project is about far more than sporting success.
He believes that investing in young people through quality education, discipline and structured sports development is one of the surest pathways to building stronger communities and a more prosperous nation.
If the vision is realised, King Amachree Sports Academy will not only be remembered as the school that conquered Nigeria’s biggest secondary school basketball championship, but also as the institution that produced generations of athletes, scholars and leaders whose impact will extend far beyond the nation’s borders.
