(NBBF's president Musa Kida)

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, Musa Kida has expressed his optimism of D'Tigers' qualification to the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.

 Nigeria will host the first-leg of Group F six-nation qualifying series in Lagos from September 14-16 and Kida is confident that the team will live up to expectations.

The NBBF official also added that the qualifiers will be an opportunity for Nigerians to see the group of talented players plying their trade outside the country.

"We have opened up the space to invite our top players, we have been very open also for any professional Nigerian playing outside the country and within the country to present themselves so that they can try out in camp," he tells FIBA

"I am also encouraged again that if we do that, there is no doubt that we shall prevail as the best in Africa.”

The September window will be the second consecutive qualifying program that Lagos will be hosting and it will see Nigeria take on Côte d'Iviore, Senegal and the Central African Republic.

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