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Tag Tijani Umar

Sport

Umar-led NBBF inaugurates League Management Board

Inauguration
Abuja, April 26, 2018 (NAN) The Tijani Umar-led Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) board on Thursday inaugurated an interim League Management Board (LMB) to administer the Nigerian Premier Basketball League sponsored by Kwese Sports.

Umar inaugurated the board at the opening ceremony of the pre-season training for basketball technical officials in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2018 Kwese Premier Basketball League season is expected to start on May 6.

While speaking at the inauguration, Umar said it was imperative to set up a viable league for Nigeria’s basketball.

He then urged club officials, coaches, and other stakeholders to continue to support the development of basketball.

“The future of Nigerian basketball is safe. Our administration has succeeded in building a sustainable future for the game.

“So, I urge you to continue to work hard for basketball. Play it, love it, defend it and support it. We will never hand over Nigeria’s basketball to international crooks.

“It is not going to happen and we will not allow that.

“Basketball is safe in our hands because we have a very secured and sustainable succession programme.

“We have assembled a team of young and ready basketball enthusiasts, who have all paid their dues in the game of basketball.

“They are the ones we have lined up for us to just move out for them to takeover,” Umar said.

NAN reports that the basketball LMB is headed by Olumide Oyedeji, a former captain of the Nigerian national basketball team, D’Tigers.

Speaking at the event, Oyedeji said his decision to take up the responsibility was to give back to basketball.

“I want to say here without mincing words that I am not here to hold on to basketball.

“We’ve established ourselves in our chosen career and got to the level where we don’t need to come back to basketball again but to give back to basketball.

“We are not in basketball to hold it as a business to either help our families or assign portfolio to brothers and friends.

“We are holding it now on your behalf and take it to where God has destined it to be. Nigeria’s basketball has a lot of potential and I want to urge all to stay focused and be consistent,” he said.

NAN reports that the LMB has Skambo Morrison in charge of basketball operations, Ajibarede Bello as technical administrator and Patrick Omorodion as director of media.

NAN also reports that while the inauguration was ongoing in Abuja, the Musa Kida-led NBBF was signing a sponsorship deal for the National Division One and Two Leagues in Lagos.(NAN)
KIA/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

NBBF crisis: NOC official says FIBA deadline now Feb. 28

NAN-S-13
Basketball
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Dec. 13, 2017 (NAN) World basketball governing body FIBA has extended the deadline it set for the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to resolve its leadership tussle until Feb. 28.

Tunde Popoola, the Secretary-General of Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the NOC had been able to secure an extension from Nov. 30.

FIBA had in July asked the NOC to resolve the NBBF crisis which began after parallel elections in Abuja and Kano which produced Musa Kida and Tijjani Umar as presidents.

However, after reconciliation efforts between then and November, Kida has been insisting on holding on to his mandate, while the immediate-past president Umar says a fresh election is acceptable to him.

NAN also reports that this had led the NOC to write to FIBA to seek an extension of the deadline.

“As of now a decision was taken actually, which will be made available to the press very shortly.

“But I think the issue is that we have moved the whole thing to Feb. 28,” Popoola said.

He also revealed that FIBA officials were expected to arrive in the country shortly, though there was no fixed date yet for their arrival.

“FIBA officials will come here between now and Feb. 28 and together we will look at the issue before taking a final decision on Feb. 28.

“However, the whole issue is not about FIBA. What we are saying, and our emphasis, is that after now nothing like this must happen in basketball again.

“It’s been a long run-out of events since the crisis began. So, we want to resolve this issue once and for all. That’s it,’’ the NOC official said.(NAN)
VO/DS/OLAL
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(Edited by Dauda Shehu 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)