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By Joe Apu
Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF Vice President, Babatunde Ogunade is one not seen as amiable in basketball circles. While some say he is brash, others think him a snub.
Just recently, the Ogun State governor, Ibidapo Abiodun appointed Ogunade the new Chairman of the Ogun State Basketball Association to help revamp the sport in the state.
Sunday Sunsports caught up with Ogunade in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, venue of the recently concluded FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers where D’Tigers recorded two loses and won one game.
In this interview, Ogunade until recently served as chairman of Lagos State Basketball Association for 21 years and a well-decorated former basketball player spoke on his plans to revive basketball in Ogun State, the imbroglio that engulfed the basketball community, the NBBF, the chances of Nigeria’s D’Tigers for the World Cup 2023 and why many brand him a snub and brash fellow.
Ogunade, who was a member of the junior championship-winning team of Lagos in 1977, a University of Lagos (UNILAG) Hall of Famer (2005), Africa Basketball Hall of Fame (2012), and was captain of the NUGA team to the World Universities Game held in Romania in 1981, bares it all here.
Plans for basketball in Ogun State
I thank the governor and people of Ogun State for finding me worthy to be chairman of the state basketball association. Ogun State has a steep history in sports and its piggy banking on that this appointment has come. The work in Ogun State is a lot and challenging and as a board, we will give our best to reposition basketball in the state.
Ahead of the new board is the National Sports Festival and I can’t remember when Ogun State came through from the Zone to play basketball at the festival. Our first job is to put together a team that will compete in the Zone for them to qualify to play in the NSF proper. We hope to make an imprint.
For me, this is a call to service and it’s encouraging to know that whatever one does is not going unnoticed. The new board is encouraged to serve knowing that we’re here to serve voluntarily.
Facilities in Ogun State
We will go to the three senatorial zones of Abeokuta, Ijebu and Yewa to see the facilities and know where to upgrade if necessary. Luckily, we have coaches in all the headquarters of the Senatorial districts and they will be giving us reports.
Luckily, there are a numbers of industries in the state and we will be approaching them for support and how best we can partner with them for their community.
Possibility for a state league
It’s not impossible but first we want to create an atmosphere that will encourage everyone to play basketball. It’s important to note here that the money government fails to spend on sports development, they will end up spending it on crime prevention.
At the ages of the kids are now, they have so much energy to expend and where you don’t channel that energy to sports, they will always find a way to expend it. That’s why we will be encouraging them to participate in sports and basketball particularly.
Funding for basketball in the state
First, we will task ourselves on the board knowing that we’re called to service. At some point, we will reach out to government when necessary but like I said earlier, the industries and corporations in Ogun State will play a role in our quest for funds to take care of our programmes.
These companies will be doing some of these knowing it is corporate social responsibility. So, we are confident that we can convince them for assistance by partnering with them.
NBBF position impacting on the state
It will be nice to have a good tying in and having more activities will help us build and improve the game in Ogun State. Being a contiguous state to Lagos, there are benefits that both states derive from each other and we will look at ways that will benefit the two states and extend to the other South West states.
However, like the saying goes “charity begins at home” and we will start something and see how fast it flows into the other South West states.
Hopefully, we hope to build a team that will compete in the league from Ogun State. The format still in its planning stages by the NBBF is to get the Zones active and the Zonal representatives on the board actively involved in developing the game.
The onus of the work will be on the representative to encourage them to propagate the game at the grassroots.
D’Tigers chances for a World Cup ticket
Truth be told, the window of Nigeria getting a ticket is getting smaller. The question being asked is, can we still qualify and the answer is yes. It is a tall order. But is it possible? Yes it is possible, Is it difficult, yes it is difficult but not impossible.
For Nigeria to qualify we must change our attitude and the players must be more businesslike. We must win all our games in the next window and win well. That way, we are likely to qualify as the best loser in both Groups E and F.
But then again, I cannot fail to say that all of this is fallout of the unnecessary bickering and distractions that the basketball firmament has experienced in the last couple of years.
People’s interests have been dampened. Let me say this and clearly too so that everyone understands it. You see, the bulk of the work that puts up the team that you see on the court is actually done in the backroom. What you see out there is a reflection of what has happened in the backroom.
Everyone on the board is discouraged no thanks to the dramatis personnel that took part in this shameful behavior. Unless we stop these bickering, it will continue to affect our basketball going forward.
The trajectory that we gathered in the last four years where we were number one men’s team in Africa and number one women’s team in Africa is affected. Our women are thrown out of the World Cup in Australia (thanks to the wisdom or the lack of it from the sports ministry) and our men’s team is struggling.
This is because the players don’t want to come and play. But kudos must go to the players that decided to come and play for Nigeria in this window in Abidjan. All of this madness started from the Olympics and look at where we are now. All the goods that we gathered over the last four years have been frittered away.
Recall that Nigeria beat America right on their grounds. That has not happened before. Nigeria is the first country in the world to do that. Nigeria is the only African country to qualify both men and women teams simultaneously to the Olympics. All of these are no mean feats but because of our behavior, we just frittered away everything that we gathered in the last couple of years.
Home based players in the senior national team
The word home based is almost derogatory. A basketball player is a basketball players anywhere. The skills that the player gathered whether they are from Nigeria or America does not matter. I don’t where it comes from and don’t care if the player is Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa.
My concern is for Nigeria to have the best players and officials to represent Nigeria once they are Nigerians. I understand your question but the league has not taken place like we would have loved to. Again, you cannot rule out the over reach of the sports ministry.
However, my attitude now is that what is past is past. Let’s move forward, let’s look for ways we can put together a domestic league like we have done in the past. The domestic league we must recall has produced players that are now playing competitively in America, Europe and Asia.
Now, there is a disconnect and we must go back to those days of comfort where players who play in Nigeria can play on the national team. At the last window in Kigali, we had three players and in the window in Abidjan, we had a player who left from Nigeria and is in the NBA Academy in Senegal on the team. There are so many thing that we need to do that we don’t need unnecessary distraction that we are being put through.
We’re looking forward to a very robust league that would redefine our basketball.
Recreation and the brash Babs Ogunade
As for recreation, I still play basketball once in a while to break sweat. I walk and I also swim just to keep fit.
The elephant in the room is Babs being difficult, brash and snobbish (laughs). Babs is not difficult at all. Yes, I tend to say things the way they are. I don’t like molly culling anybody or sugar coating anything for anybody because I am a man that likes to tell you good or bad news quickly. This is so that you can you can understand it and able to react quickly.
When you sugar coat things, people don’t understand the impact or enormity of the problem they have. I admit it’s a fault I have and I claim it but that’s the way I am.
People who are close to me will tell you that Babs is as straight as an arrow. Painting things to make it look good when it’s bad is a waste to time. It’s important we understand we are, react to it timorously and it’s better for everybody. If for instance there is no money to be spent, it must be understood and the next action is what’s the next best thing to do?
We waste too much energy and emotions on things that are unimportant. In summary, I’ll tell you that I am not a difficult person. I am highly misunderstood.
