A group under the aegis of Nigerian Sports Advanced Group (NSAG) has called for the involvement of ex-internationals in the upcoming Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) elections.
Addressing newsmen over the weekend in Abuja, the chairman of the group, Charles Offiong, said the current reality in Nigerian basketball where only foreign-based players were representing the country in international competitions warranted a new approach to the leadership of the NBBF. Offiong said the recent rumours that Engr. Musa Kida led the Caretaker Committee of the NBBF was plotting how to disenfranchise ex-internationals, mostly those living abroad from contesting the presidency of the board, was a plot to bury the game in Nigeria.
He, therefore, said that fairness should be the keyword in order to get all stakeholders in the sport involved. NBBF elections are scheduled to hold after the Olympic Games which is billed for July 23 to Aug. 8 in Tokyo, Japan. Offiong said it had become imperative to raise awareness about the irregularities being perpetrated by the federation’s Caretaker Committee led by Kida ahead of the upcoming elections. “Our (NSAG) responsibility is to raise the alarm whenever things are no longer going well with our sports, mostly from the administrative angle, to enable us to find a solution. “This is because sports in Nigeria have proven to be a unifying factor for the relative peace we enjoy in this country, notwithstanding the recent insecurity challenges in the country.
“Therefore, it is part of our responsibility to let the public, and especially the federal government, basketball stakeholders and enthusiasts, be aware of the activities of those at the helm in the NBBF and its effect on the game in the country,” he said. Offiong pointed out that the game of basketball was gradually fizzling out in the country because of the lack of foresight and good initiative on the part of those managing it at the moment. He listed such ex-players to include Masai Ujiri (President, Toronto Raptors), Isa Umar (NBBF board member) and Ejike Ugboaja (Players representative at the NBBF), saying if given the opportunity to lead the NBBF, they might turn out to be the messiahs Nigerian basketball had been waiting for. He said, “If Nigeria can have a foreign coach and foreign-based players, why not allow Nigerians in the diaspora who have experience in the game of basketball and administration to be involved in the board by contesting the NBBF Presidency? “This is in order to take the game to the appropriate level. “We are of the opinion that any Nigerian, home or abroad, who wishes to contest any position in the upcoming basketball federation elections should be allowed once the statutes are not against it.
“We, therefore, call on the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, to set up the Electoral Committee accordingly.