Nigeria has stepped up the gear in her bid to host the 2011 African Basketball Championship for men, local media reported Thursday.

Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) President Tijjani Umar told reporters in Lagos on Wednesday that the African body for basketball was very receptive of the country's bid to host the biennial championship.

"FIBA Africa, the continent governing body for basketball, has welcomed our bid to host the 2011 African Championship due to the fact that Nigeria has never hosted the event despite our rising profile in basketball and pedigree," he said.

Nigeria will face stiff competition from two other African countries, West African neighbors, Cote d'Ivoire and Madagascar.

Umar said the country stand a better chance of picking the rights to host the championship.

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