Nigeria’s long-running school basketball programme is set to gain access to a wider global platform after Nestlé agreed a multi-year marketing partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The partnership, which takes effect on 1 January 2027, makes Nestlé brands Milo, Nescau and Nesquik official partners of the NBA across 21 markets on four continents, including Nigeria.

For Nigeria, the significance of the deal goes beyond NBA branding. Milo has spent more than two decades building a grassroots basketball pipeline through its school championship, creating a ready-made platform through which the global partnership could potentially reach young players.

From school courts to a global basketball platform

The MILO Basketball Championship began in Nigeria in 1999 and has grown from fewer than 500 participating schools to a national competition involving more than 13,000 schools.

In 2026, the championship recorded more than 13,000 registered schools, although only 12 teams — six boys’ and six girls’ teams — progressed to the national finals.

The programme has been positioned not only as a competition but also as a grassroots sports-development platform, with an emphasis on teamwork, discipline, resilience and confidence.

Nestlé’s 2025 annual report said the championship engaged more than 13,000 schools and provided a national platform for young athletes while promoting participation across different regions and backgrounds.

That existing footprint gives the NBA partnership a distinctly Nigerian dimension, even though Nestlé and the NBA have yet to disclose specific new programmes or activities planned for Nigeria under the agreement.

What the NBA partnership could add

The international agreement will cover selected NBA youth-development programmes and platforms, including Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, NBA Basketball School, Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies, Her Time To Play and NBA 3X.

It will also include selected NBA events and fan-engagement platforms such as NBA Global Games and NBA House.

For young Nigerian players, coaches and basketball followers, the potential significance lies in how these global platforms are eventually adapted to local programmes.

However, the announcement does not say that the MILO Basketball Championship itself will automatically become an NBA programme. Specific Nigerian activations will therefore need to be announced separately.

Nestlé calls it its biggest international brand deal

Nestlé described the agreement as its largest international brand collaboration to date.

Liberato Milo, Senior Vice President and Head of the Confectionery & Snacking Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé, said the company intended to use basketball to reach consumers while encouraging young people and families to become more active.

“Together with the NBA, we will use the power of basketball to connect with consumers at scale, create locally relevant experiences and inspire more young people and families to get active and enjoy the game.”

The partnership will also extend beyond basketball programmes, with retail activations, fan experiences and on-pack promotions featuring NBA branding.

Consumers may also have opportunities to win NBA tickets, merchandise and other prizes, according to the companies.

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Nigeria’s existing Milo legacy

Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria, said the new partnership builds on Milo’s existing involvement in Nigerian basketball.

“Basketball has become an important part of the Milo story in Nigeria, creating opportunities for young people to participate in sport while developing values such as discipline, resilience, teamwork and self-belief.”

He said the NBA partnership would connect Nestlé’s longstanding commitment to basketball in Nigeria with a global platform.

The 2026 MILO Basketball Championship provided a fresh indication of the scale of that existing network, with more than 13,000 schools registered for the competition.

NBA looks to expand basketball’s global reach

Julie Morris, NBA Senior Vice President of Commercial Development and Media, said the league would seek to use Nestlé’s international reach to connect with fans.

“We look forward to leveraging Nestlé’s reach and local market presence to connect with fans in new ways and support the continued growth of basketball around the world.”

The partnership covers Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

The Philippines is expected to join the arrangement from October 2027.

What to watch in Nigeria from 2027

The immediate question for Nigeria’s basketball community is how the global agreement will translate into local opportunities.

Potential areas of interest include youth development, coaching, girls’ participation, grassroots competitions, fan engagement and exposure to NBA development programmes.

But the companies have not yet published details of specific Nigerian projects under the new partnership.

For now, the agreement places Nigeria within a much larger international basketball marketing platform while Nestlé enters 2027 with an established grassroots network through the MILO Basketball Championship.

That combination could give the country’s young basketball players and coaches a new route into global-facing initiatives — provided future local activations build meaningfully on the existing school-sports infrastructure.

The 2026 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Media Games will feature a broader mix of sporting and indoor competitions as journalists converge on Lagos for five days of recreation, fitness and competition.

The games are scheduled for October 5 to 9, 2026, with activities taking place at Agege Stadium and the NUJ Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja.

The programme includes 5-a-side football for men and women, a 100-metre race, Chess, Draughts, Ayo, Scrabble and Table Tennis.

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More than a football tournament

Chairman of the 2026 NUJ Media Games Sports Committee, Ayo Ojedokun, said the event was designed to provide journalists with an opportunity to step away from the pressures of newsroom work.

He said the games would promote physical fitness, recreation and healthier interaction among journalists.

The organisers also invited more corporate organisations to support the event and use the games as an opportunity to connect with their target audiences.

“The Games were designed to give journalists a way to ease off the stress of the newsroom, keep fit and healthy, and create time for recreation.”

The press conference at the NUJ Secretariat also featured the unveiling of the official games logo and the draw for the football competition.

NUJ Lagos thanks sponsors

Chairman of the NUJ Lagos Council, Adeleye Ajayi, said the council was pleased to host the games and described them as an event that had become part of the council’s activities.

Ajayi thanked Coca-Cola, Nestlé Foods, SFAX Group, Agege Local Government and Amuwo Odofin Local Government for supporting the initiative.

According to him, the sponsors’ involvement would contribute to efforts to promote the mental alertness and wellbeing of journalists.

“The Games have come to stay and the Council is excited to organise them.”

Ojedokun also appealed to other organisations to join the existing sponsors in supporting the 2026 edition.

Five days of competition

The programme will combine outdoor and indoor events, allowing participants to compete across different sporting and recreational activities.

The football competition will be played in the 5-a-side format, with separate categories for male and female journalists.

Other competitions will include the 100m race, Chess, Draughts, Ayo, Scrabble and Table Tennis.

The combination of team sports, athletics and indoor games is expected to give journalists from different media organisations opportunities to participate beyond football.

Tribute to former NUJ secretary

The press conference also included a minute of silence in honour of Alfred Odifa, a former Secretary of the NUJ Lagos Council, who died on Thursday morning.

The tribute came as the council and members of the media community prepare for the five-day sporting event.

What to know

– Event: 2026 NUJ Media Games

– Date: October 5–9, 2026

– Venues: Agege Stadium and NUJ Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja

– Football: 5-a-side, men and women

– Other events: 100m, Chess, Draughts, Ayo, Scrabble and Table Tennis

– Organiser: Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos Council

The 2026 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council Media Games will move into another phase on Thursday, September 24, when organisers hold the competition draws and unveil the official logo ahead of the October tournament.

The events are scheduled to take place at the NUJ Secretariat, 9 Iyalla Street, Alausa, Ikeja, while the games themselves will run from October 5 to 9 at Agege Stadium.

The organisers say the competition is being positioned not only as a sporting event but also as an opportunity for journalists to step away from the newsroom, maintain physical fitness and strengthen professional relationships.

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Draws to determine competition line-up

Chairman of the Media Games Committee, Ayo Ojedokun, said preparations were at an advanced stage, with the committee working to deliver what he described as one of the most organised editions of the games since its inception.

He urged media chapels affiliated with the Lagos NUJ Council that have not yet registered to complete the process before the draws.

“The preparation is in top gear, and we are determined to make this year’s edition memorable. Media chapels that are yet to register should do so before the draws,” Ojedokun said.

Registered organisations currently include Vanguard, Federal Maritime, Correspondents, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Lagos Information, Lagos Television (LTV), The Nation and The Guardian.

The committee also said corporate organisations and sponsors were increasingly identifying with the initiative, although details of the sponsors were not provided in the statement.

Why the games matter beyond sport

Lagos NUJ Chairman, Comrade Adeleye Ajayi, said the significance of the competition extends beyond winning matches.

He said the demanding nature of newsroom work makes opportunities for exercise and social interaction important for journalists.

“We can’t be in the newsroom all the time. We have to shed weight and exercise our bodies for physical fitness, and that is what the games are meant to do.”

Ajayi also described the event as an opportunity for journalists who may not regularly see one another to reconnect.

“It is also an avenue for social interaction. Friends and colleagues who have not seen each other for some time will get to meet again on the field.”

According to him, the games will also create opportunities for interaction between journalists and people outside the profession.

“The event also brings journalists and non-journalists together, offering a break from the newsroom while fostering networking and social interaction,” he said.

What happens next

The September 24 draws and logo unveiling will precede the main competition at Agege Stadium from October 5 to 9.

For participating media organisations, the immediate deadline is registration ahead of the draws, while the organising committee is expected to continue preparations for the five-day sporting programme.

The event is expected to bring together journalists from different media organisations across Lagos for competition, exercise and social interaction.