…Threaten to seek redress in court
The last may not have been heard of the crisis rocking the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), as Nigeria Basketball Players Association urged the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare to stop the proposed NBBF election purportedly slated for January 31, 2022.
In a letter dated January 24, 2022, addressed to the Honourable Minister of Sports, Nigeria basketball Players Association, an umbrella body of players both home and abroad said, they are surprised that despite the reconciliatory committee set up by Mr. Dare to mediate in the crisis they are yet to come up with any report and the ministry went ahead and fixed the election without recourse to the body.
The letter read in parts, “Sir, it is our submission and request that, the election hurriedly slated for 31st January 2022 be suspended immediately and the pending, unresolved issues that have triggered the crisis in the Nigerian Basketball Federation be looked critically into.
“ We make bold to state without equivocation that, in the event of failure to give credence to our humble request which is in the overall interest of Basketball and Sports Development in Nigeria, we shall mobilize relevant stakeholders and supporters and stage a MEGA protest to press home our demands.
“The Nigerian basketball players home and abroad will not play if these issues are not resolved.
‘And we are also not oblivious of the alternative of litigation as an acceptable way to seek redress..
“It is sacrosanct to inform you, Sir, that by the conventional practice known to us, notice of election is usually given 21 days to the election date and electoral guidelines are advanced to bring stakeholders to speed as to the election itinerary. We woke to news of elections holding on the 31st of January, 2022 in a correspondence that was issued and signed on the 17th of January, 2022. Up till date, we are yet to receive the electoral guidelines or the statute that will be used to conduct the election.
“ Sir, to our disbelief and total dismay, Mr. Musa Kida is still being referred to in official correspondences of the Ministry as the President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation long after his official tenure has elapsed and his Caretaker appointment dissolved by you. We find this disturbing and totally unacceptable as it infringes on our sensibility and the legitimacy of the dissolution of the Caretaker Committee which you did.
“Sir, we bring to your notice our strong reservations over the purported constitution for the Nigerian Basketball Federation having largely been prepared by Mr Kida to further his inglorious stay at the helm of affairs of the federation. We know the Ministry under your care will not support this shambolic show of failure and breach of an acceptable standard. The convention that was called to deliberate over the said constitution was floored with irregularities ranging across intimidation and disenfranchisement of participation of relevant stakeholders,” the statement concluded,” statement said.
The letter which was copied to the offices of the President of the Senate, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the President of National Olympic Committee was signed by the immediate past players rep, Ejike Ugboaja and the newly elected players rep, Stanley Gumut respectively
The body further stated that they were surprised that despite the fact that Musa Kida has served his tenure as NBBF president and caretaker committee chairman, the ministry is still addressing him as the NBBF President even in correspondences.
It could be recalled that the ministry conducted elections into the various federations on September 30, 2021, but that of NBBF and a few others were suspended due to unresolved issues.
Mostly, in NBBF it was alleged that the outgone President Kida tempered with the constitution of the federation as such other stakeholders objected to it and called an all-inclusive amendment of the constitution which on till the time of filing this report nothing has been done to address it.
