By James Bwala
Who is deceiving President Muhammadu Buhari over the happenings in the Basketball Federation? Why would there be an interim management committee over a created scenario and where there was no really an issue? Who are those behind the scene attempting to roll back the achievements so far made in the basketball Federation?
It is high time President Muhammadu Buhari awakes to reality especially now that the sport ministry is trying to roll back achievements of the basketball Federation with a kangaroo committee set up to undermine the successes made in the federation. It is high time to look into the activities of the sport ministry and few individuals in government maligning the federation through their negative perception and corruption.
Many of them could not hide their feelings for not getting the kickback bags under the Ahmadu Musa Kida’s led board. Many of them could not hide their worries over the next four years if they should allow Kida and his board to continue despite a clear and right return through a credible election. Many of them are thinking of retiring with some full package from the federation but Kida is a clog against corruption.
Perhaps, the two year ban on International competition could therefore be a window of opportunity to get what they could not before all of them go on retirement soon. This is where I would have loved the EFCC and the ICPC to glue its third eyes to see how the administrative bottlenecks unrolled itself in justifying outings on doctored documentations.
The matter is on and when reading the story of how Jacob deceived Israel to steal the mandate of Esau made me thinking about how the sport ministry team up with Tijjani Umar trying to steal the mandate given to Ahmadu Musa Kida to lead the Nigeria Basketball Federation as its President for the second term.
If President Muhammadu Buhari was the Biblical Issac, I would say that in this scenario the sports ministry and indeed Tijjani Umar are playing the role of Biblical Rebecca on deception. Perhaps President Muhammadu Buhari could have fallen for it.
However, in the case of the Basketball Federation, I believe there are hundreds of things to look into except the President is perhaps not interested in the sport which brought glory to Nigeria in the last four years when Ahmadu Musa Kida led the federation from cradle to greatness.
I read through a statement from the Ministry of sport, which was signed by Mohammed Manga, the Director of Press and Press Relations, which stated: “Following the recent directives of President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of basketball in the country and its withdrawal from all International basketball competitions for the next two years, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has announced the members of the Interim Management Committee(IMC) to oversee the development of the sport in Nigeria.”
The membership of the management committee are: Dr. Henry Nzekwu , Mr. Udon Ubon Humapwa, Mr. Frank Jitubhoh , Zenith Bank – Representative, Prof. Adamu Ahmed , Mr. Peter Nelson , Group Captain Rahinatu Garba, Aderemi Adewunmi , Oluchi Nzekwe and Sani Adio ( SAN).
Personally I still believe that going by achievements made by the Ahmadu Musa Kida’s led federation, the President knowing the importance of achieving such feet especially in the game of Basketball cannot go into given directives and subsequent approve of the Ministry of sport to announce an interim management without stepping into the issues, which requires urgent resolve looking at what Nigeria tend to lose if the situation continue to degenerate under his watch.
Those who know the inside story knew that an election was held with full attendance of delegates as directed in Benin. If the Minister of sport who gave a directive that the Secretary General be invited to the Benin election could come out to say that a parallel election was held, one which has no Congress approval then there is much to this than the election.
According to the statement, the Committee is to draw up programmes that will revamp basketball from the grassroots in Nigeria, revive its moribund domestic leagues and attract corporate sponsors for the development of the game. The question is which revamping is the ministry talking about when the Kida board had already put the basketball Federation on the International viewing?
The election that herald Ahmadu Musa Kida as President of NBBF in Benin was well organized in conjunction with the ministry and Congress sanctioning election at Benin with FIBA the international supporting body monitoring the election which was conducted live which Ahmadu Musa Kida emerged victorious having elected unopposed.
I believe that all stakeholders that have interest in the election were invited and the ministry gave the go ahead for the conduction of the election. Letters and correspondences are available where the ministry feels to deny these claims.
What shocked stakeholders is that some staff of the ministry of sport were against the resolution of the Congress and went and opened the stadium and conducted what they call a parallel election. This was a calculated attack to put a clog at the wheels of progress by Nigeria Basketball development.
That certain staff of the ministry of sports in conjunction with some sports administrators has positioned themselves to make basketball administration their birth right is not in the interest of the sport but for their personal gains.
I believe the silence by the NBBF President, Ahmadu Musa Kida on this issue is not unconnected with the shock and surprise of the decision taken and of the suspension of all international basketball competition by Nigeria.
This decision indeed is the greatest height of care abandoned and executive recklessness and undue regard to the efforts put in by the players to secure a spot, the resources deployed and the managerial effort that was put in place.
- James Bwala lives in Abuja