By Sylvanus Ofekun
For those who think that the leadership crisis rocking the Nigeria Basketball Federation NBBF,will soon come to an end should have a rethink,because the gladiators are dagger thrown at each other,with divert tactis being employed by the various camps.
Basketball Players across the country and those abroad have unanimously rejected the imposition of the former NBBF President, Engr.Musa Kida by the Minister of Sports,Mr.Sunday Dare,insisting that his four years incharge of the game was miserable.
Led by a Former NBBF Board Member in Kida’s board and former NBA star,Ejike Ugboaja,the players in their hundreds stormed the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on Wednesday to press home their demand.An action that met a brick wall.
Addressing journalists after meeting with officials of the Sports Ministry, Ugboaja alleged that the ministry was trying to return Kida as NBBF president, saying that the players had long rejected him.
“The Sports Ministry doesn’t want to conduct an election; all they want to do is to force someone, who we don’t want, on us. They are scared of FIBA Africa and FIBA International, as the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, is claiming.
“We, as players that have played in several World Cup tournaments, and have represented Nigeria for the past 12 years, can boldly say that FIBA is not Nigeria and we are not scared of their ban.
“As it stands today, if they force a president on us, we are going to ban ourselves from playing basketball.
“He (Musa Kida) will not lead us anymore. We need Musa Kida to apologise to us (players) for calling us thugs and hoodlums.
“We have cried to the minister and if he refuses to listen to us, we will make a big statement to Nigerians. I am emotional right now because they are taking us for granted,” Ugboaja stated.
Also speaking during the protest march, the newly elected players representative, Stanely Gumut, also complained about the role being played by the ministry.
“The ministry has succeeded in wasting our time, whatever they are telling us now ought to have been done last year. They kept us for so long in the name of reconciliation or trying to fix things; but coming back now to tell us that they want to leave everything in our hands is unfortunate.
“This is like a coup, throwing someone at us in the last minute… it is unfortunate and very painful. If you are talking about ban, the domestic league has been under ban for the past four years, which is like a ban.”
Mark Igoche,a presidential aspirant of the NBBF queried the Minister’s action stating that the Minister should come clean.
“Where was FIBA when the Minister dessolved the NBBF Board in May,2021?Where was FIBA when Kida was appointed as Caretaker Chairman?A Caretaker Chairman lacks the power to call a congress and so no congress was took place in October.The minister should be firm in his decision.”Mark stated.
A Lagos based Sports Journalist,Patrick Omorodion alledged that the nexus between the Sports Minister and Kida is the AFA Sports Wears that is blurring the eyes of Mr. Sunday Dare.
“NBBF election: I believe the AFA sports wears connection with Musa Kida is blurring the sports minister’s vision from seeing the truth.”Omorodion posited.
The secrecy of the deal has fuelled the allegation that the Sports Minister had compromised,or have benefited from the deal especially with story of wash wear jersey that Athletes had during the olympics amidst plenty(Puma deal)
The Pro Kida group and the Anti Kida group are spoiling for war,all because of the skewed constitution alledgly smuggled in by the former president of the NBBF,Engr.Musa Kida.
In the coming days,the picture will be clearer regarding the future of basketball in Nigeria,as the Sport Minister,Sunday Dare might become the biggest casualty.
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