Nigeria wheelchair basketball captain Ijigbamigbe Gbemisola Olubisi has set her sights on leading the national team to the Paralympic Games after helping the country achieve a historic breakthrough at the Commonwealth Games.
Ijigbamigbe, who has emerged as a key figure in Nigeria’s wheelchair basketball programme, believes qualification for the Paralympics would represent the next major step for a team that has already demonstrated its ability to break new ground on the international stage.
Speaking in an interview with Sports247, the Nigerian captain reflected on a journey that saw her serve as assistant captain during the country’s successful Commonwealth Games qualification campaign before eventually taking over the leadership of the team.
Her captaincy subsequently produced another landmark moment when Nigeria recorded its first-ever wheelchair basketball victory at the Commonwealth Games.
The historic win came against India and helped Nigeria progress to the quarter-finals, marking an important achievement for the country’s developing wheelchair basketball programme.
Asked about the milestones recorded during her period in the national team leadership, Ijigbamigbe acknowledged the achievements but made it clear that she is already looking towards something bigger.
“Yes, that’s correct,” she said.
For Ijigbamigbe, reaching the Commonwealth Games and recording a first victory at the competition should not represent the end of Nigeria’s ambitions.
The Paralympic Games are now firmly in her sights.
“I hope that my captaincy will also lead us to the Paralympics, which is the career goal of many athletes,” Ijigbamigbe said.
“I’m hoping that we will also get there.”
Qualification would represent another significant milestone for Nigerian wheelchair basketball and provide the players with an opportunity to test themselves against the world’s leading national teams on para-sport’s biggest stage.
Ijigbamigbe believes the experience gained from competing internationally can provide an important foundation as the national team attempts to take the next step in its development.
Her own journey has closely followed that progress.
From assistant captain during the Commonwealth Games qualification campaign to becoming national team captain and helping Nigeria record a historic victory at the Games, Ijigbamigbe has experienced some of the most significant moments in the team’s recent development.
But she is not satisfied with stopping there.
The next objective is considerably bigger, and achieving it would add another chapter to the history already created by the team.
Nigeria have broken their Commonwealth Games barrier. Now Ijigbamigbe wants to lead them towards the stage she describes as the ultimate career goal for many athletes — the Paralympic Games.
