December 03, (THEWILL) – The failure of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to hold elections into their federating board on October 30 as initially scheduled, has led to the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) enforcing a January 31, 2022 deadline to organise its elections or face stipulated sanctions.
On November 19, the world governing basketball body sent a letter to Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, informing him of the organisation’s position.
The letter was clear in stating that no amendments to the 2019 NBBF constitution will be considered by FIBA.
It also stated categorically that National Member Federations (NMF) must manage its operations independently of third parties and ensure that their officers are elected or chosen through a democratic process, as stated in Article 9.7 of the FIBA General Statutes.
In reaching the said deadline, the Central Board of the body granted the NBBF an extension for its Congress to conduct a fresh election into the board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation that will meet its standards and the interests of all parties.
It was a concession made at the Minister’s request to support the Federal Government’s ongoing peace and reconciliation efforts within the NBBF.
The correspondence, which was signed by the FIBA President, Hamane Niang and Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Secretary, read:
“We hereby inform you that FIBA’s Central Board has approved a deadline extension for the celebration of the Nigeria Basketball Federation’s (NBBF) Electoral Congress up until 31 January 2022. In doing so, FIBA reiterates and confirms the contents of our letter dated 2 November 2021, including that FIBA, will not recognise any changes to the NBBF’s statutes prior to the celebration of the Electoral Congress.”
THEWILL recalls that Musa Kida is seeking re-election to the NBBF presidency after his initial tenure in office, but several stakeholders, notably Mr Kida’s predecessor Tijani Umar, are opposing him.
While other sporting federations have completed their elections and the winners have taken over administration of the activities, the NBBF is currently without a set date and location for electing a new board and, by implication, a new president.
THEWILL reported that an early stalemate between the Ministry and the Kida faction was resolved, which led to a postponement of the earlier scheduled October 30 elections.
As FIBA confirmed in its letter, the NBBF has the responsibility to administer the national team’s operations independently and without the influence of third parties such as some personalities in the Ministry.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
