The Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida led faction of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has dared the government by denouncing the Interim Management Committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development to run basketball in Nigeria.
It will be recalled that after the two-year ban on international basketball, the sports ministry on Monday, May 23 announced a 10-man Interim Management Committee to oversee the sport.
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However, the Kida board yesterday condemned the committee saying it was legally elected by the congress on January 31 at the elective congress in Benin-City to administer basketball in the country.
The NBBF stated clearly that the idea of an IMC is alien to the NBBF Statutes as approved by the same Ministry of Youths & Sports Development, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), and the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA), under which the affairs of the Federation are governed.
The board also said the decision to constitute a management committee for basketball is a complete violation of FIBA regulations.
“It is a blatant abuse of power and an archaic move to repress the Constitution of the NBBF, as ratified by congress, which is the highest decision-making organ of the Federation, as represented by all the states and relevant constituencies in Nigeria.
“The NBBF has exercised enough patience and attended several dialogues and peace talks for the sake of basketball. But it seems some persons within the Ministry are hell-bent on destroying what Nigerian Basketball has built since the creation and admission of the NBBF as a member of FIBA.
“The latest move is not to save basketball, but a selfish agenda to cripple the sport for reasons best known to such persons,” the statement reads in part.
The board, therefore, called on the ministry to reverse what it described as a retrogressive decision while urging the ministry to respect its former press release issued on the 30th of September, 2021 which affirmed and spelt out the position of the Nigerian Government on the NBBF Electoral process.
The NBBF concluded by assuring Nigerians that it is committed to carrying on the processes of developing Basketball in Nigeria and that all genuine stakeholders willing to contribute their quota to the growth and development of the game of Basketball in Nigeria will also not be left out.
