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Tag Nigeria Basketball Federation

Sport

Participate in illegal league competitions and get banned, Kida-led NBBF warns clubs

Warning
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Ilorin, May 3, 2018 (NAN) The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) faction led by Musa Kida says clubs risk being banned if they participate in the Kwese Premier Basketball League scheduled to start on May 6.

Afolabi Oni, the faction’s Media Officer, said in a statement that such clubs would lose their position in the Premier Basketball League and any other competition their faction organised.

He quoted NBBF Secretary-General, Chimezie Asiegbu, as saying the pronouncement was necessary to avoid what happened last season.

“The Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) has made its position known regarding basketball issues in Nigeria.

“It is clear who is in charge of basketball affairs in the country until such a time that a new constitution will be drafted which will usher in the elections,” Asiegbu said.

He added that apart from the monetary incentives being dangled before the clubs, their participation would also not qualify them for any international competition.

“The competitions they would not be eligible for include the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Champions Cup Qualifiers and the FIBA Champions Cup Final rounds which have now metamorphosed into the FIBA AfroLeague.

“The Kwese Premier League Sponsorship Agreement is with the NBBF and not with an individual.

“We hope that the Kwese/NBBF Sponsorship Agreement is not being converted to sponsorship of a competition that is not under the purview of the NBBF or plans to that effect.’’

Asiegbu said the the Kida-led NBBF was the only body recognised by FIBA, the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

“The NBBF board under Kida is the only body authorised to organise the country’s National Premier Competition.

“It is from the National Premier Competition that the Champions and the Runners Up will be selected to represent Nigeria in any international club competition,” he said.

The Secretary-General said those sympathetic to the NBBF group led by Tijani Umar ere wrong with the argument that the federation was not under any elected board at the moment.

“But there are individuals currently saddled with running its affairs and having correspondences with FIBA.

“No other person or group of persons can hold itself out as the NBBF.

“FIBA is presently dealing with Kida (President), Babatunde Ogunade (Vice-President) and Asiegbu (Secretary-General) as contained in the last FIBA letter of March, 13, 2018.

“And this has been captured on the FIBA website under the NBBF column.”

He urged all stakeholders to take reasonable steps to protect the integrity of the Nigerian basketball federation and the future of the game.(NAN)
BAY/DE/OLAL
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(Edited by Dorcas Jonah and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

NBBF to unveil new sponsors Thursday

Sponsors
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Ilorin, April 24, 2018 (NAN) The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) on Tuesday said it would unveil a new sponsor for the national division 1 and 2 league competitions on Thursday in Lagos.

NBBF’s Media Officer, Afolabi Oni, in a statement said the sponsorship deal would be a major breakthrough for the domestic league.

The statement quoted NBBF President, Musa Kida, as saying the deal would mark a new dawn for all stakeholders, especially players and officials who are the major actors.

“This sponsorship agreement till date will be the biggest deal that has ever been signed at this level of our national league, to cater for players in the lower divisions.

“’We are used to gathering teams in a particular location for one week under the guise of playing Divisions 1 and 2 with players and respective clubs benefiting nothing at the end of this jamboree.

“Under this new arrangement, the divisions will be targeted at grassroots players and rookies, who are just at the developmental stage of the game, with more games expected to be played,” Kida said.

He assured that the federation was working round the clock to deliver on its promise of securing a better life for players plying their trade in the domestic league.

Kida went on to say there were greater deals coming the way of the sport at the higher level.

“If we have been able to pull off such a feat for Division 1 and Division 2, there are bigger plans for the Premier League division and the Zenith Bank-sponsored Women’s League,” he said.(NAN)
BAY/IFY/OLAL
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(Edited by Ify Omowole and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Basketball crisis: NOC to meet with NBBF factions Thursday in Abuja

NAN-S-4
Basketball
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Nov. 10, 2017 (NAN) The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) will meet with the two factions of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) on Thursday in Abuja, the committee’s Secretary-General, Tunde Popoola, said on Friday.

Popoola said this was part of efforts to ensure peace returned to the administration of basketball in Nigeria before the Nov. 30 deadline given by the sport’s world governing body.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had mandated NOC to resolve the dispute between the boards led by Tijjani Umar and Musa Kida.

FIBA, through its General Secretary, Patrick Baumann, had said in a letter addressed to both parties that failure to have an amicable resolution between the two groups could have consequences.

It had said such a situation would see it resorting to wielding the big stick, which could include sanctions on Nigeria.

Umar was elected as the NBBF President in Kano on June 12, while Kida was also elected as President in Abuja on June 13.

Popoola said the NOC was doing everything possible to amicably resolve the impasse before the Nov. 30 deadline.

“It is important however to note that the Nov. 16 meeting will be a fact-finding one. There are few things that need to be done and I think we have already done part of it.

“We have consulted widely and then, of course, we are going to now look this time around at the sport itself. We will also be beaming our focus on the athletes who are concerned.

“So, basically it is on those bases our judgement will be made. We must protect the sport and we must protect the athletes. It’s important.

“So, we expect that the meeting will be one in which we will rub minds with all parties concerned and resolve amicably the situation on ground.

“But, so far so good, we have done what we are supposed to do,” he said.

Popoola however said the reconciliation demanded from the NBBF factions by FIBA as presented in their letter written to the two boards was the only way forward.

“I think we need to start from the letter first. That letter was very explicit and it spelt out exactly the way to go.

“The first thing is that the NBBF as a federation must try to solve their own problems internally.

“But where it becomes absolutely impossible, the NOC then has to come in to ensure that the matter is resolved either by way of maybe another election or by resolving the matter amicably between both parties.

“This is of course where we are now. The NOC has made enough efforts and meetings were called twice but one of the parties did not attend.

“Of course it was not reasonable for us to have gone ahead and taken a decision without having both parties together.

“That’s why we decided to fix another meeting for Nov. 16,” he said.

The NOC secretary-general assured basketball stakeholders and other Nigerians that normalcy would return to the sport before the Nov. 30 deadline.

“I am positive that both parties will exploit all avenues for peace and reconciliation.’’

He therefore urged all parties involved to make sure they were in attendance at the meeting in Abuja, adding that no excuses would be entertained this time around.

“I will like to believe that the non-attendance of one of the parties involved was a kind of `force majeure’. Maybe something happened and they could not make it.

“However, this time around, we will not entertain excuses from any of the parties for not being there for one reason or the other.

“They must all be there and if any decision is taken in the absence of any of the parties, it will be unfortunate,” the NOC official said.

He noted that the NOC was mindful of the importance of the task given to it by FIBA, adding that it would not fold its arms and allow the world basketball body ban Nigeria.

“Any federation that has a little squabble has the tendency to disrupt the progress of that sport and the NOC will stop at nothing to ensure that there is peace in every federation.

“It’s our job to ensure that every federation gets a fair deal in resolving its crisis, because in as much as we are human beings we must have squabbles once in a while. But I think we will get things done.

“I am so positive,” Popoola said.(NAN)
VO/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)