By Joe Apu
Nigerian international, Ejike Ugboaja has described as unfortunate the state of basketball administration in the country noting that the game is in bondage and needs urgent deliverance.
Ugboaja’s declaration came on the heels of the NBBF Annual General Meeting held in Abuja where a mild drama ensued at the Nigeria Air Force International Conference Centre, venue of the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Basketball Federation.
The centre who is also leading the players union known as Basketball Players Association of Nigeria, BAPAN stated that the situation he witnessed is believable.
“This is simply crazy. I am in shock.” He was making reference to the manner in which stakeholders of the game were treated. According to his account, the NBBF leadership decided to change the format of the meeting as against the practice in years past.
Giving credence to Ugboaja’s comment, Afolabi Oni, who writes online gave his account as this way; “stakeholders had expected the usual format of the meeting until they were confronted with a new line of action where only duly endorsed members from Lagos and Ebonyi States as well as a representative of an International body, (FIBA Africa) were not allowed access into the venue of the conference.
“Despite this face-off happening in the presence of the Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Hon. Goni Bukar Lawan, Member Bursari/Geidam/Yunusari Fed. Constituency, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Sports and Director of Federation of Elite Athletes Department Mrs.
Hauwa Kulu-Akinyemi, and President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Engineer Habu Gumel, nothing was done to ensure that due process was followed.
“Reacting to questions from journalists on why the President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, Col Samuel Ahmedu, (RTD); Chairman of the Lagos State Basketball Association, Babs Ogunade were barred from gaining access into the venue of the AGM, President of the NBBF, Tijani Umar said the ban came from FIBA Africa for their participation at the African Basketball League. Unfortunately, Nigerians have not seen any official letter from FIBA banning players or officials who played in the ABL.
“After being bombarded with questions about the fate of “BANNED” players for their role in ABL, the players’ representative on the board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Olumide Oyedeji replied that there was no such thing. According to him, players who participated in the ABL were not expressly banned by FIBA but were deemed not to have played for one calendar year due to the ongoing issue with FIBA Africa.
“Since FIBA Africa could not stop the players and officials from carrying out their “rights to freedom of association”, they had to be exempted from all FIBA organized and sanctioned competitions.
“Oyedeji said their efforts were not just recognized because of their participation in an unrecognized league by FIBA Africa. So, when some players wanted to join clubs like Kano Pillars and Customs at the Zonal and Regional competitions, it was impossible. “He explained that it was not because of FIBA Africa’s ban on individual players who took part in ABL, but because of the issues with clearance and international transfer certificates.”
Olumide explained that since the management of ABL had no authority to accredit and transfer players, it was impossible for the players to play at the African club championship at a time that the federation was not going to help due to the faceoff with the management of the ABL.
“According to the constitution of FIBA Zone 3 of which Nigeria is a signatory to, the president of the Zone is legally allowed in the AGM of any member association. In cases where he is not physically present, he/she is allowed to send a representative.
“For the ban on Lagos state basketball association for supporting ABL, it was funny that a member of the association, Gbade Olatona who came with Ogunade was allowed access into the venue. Personally, I believe that if a ban was placed on LSBA for supporting ABL, the ban should not have been targeted at an individual rather, it should cut across board.
“So why will you bar Ogunade from gaining access and you allow Olatona who is also from the same banned association into the venue to represent the state? This is tantamount to double standard and a hidden agenda to use every means possible to ensure continuity.
If a national federation is banned by the international body, the ban is not necessarily enforced on the president, but on all national teams and clubs with an affiliation with the banned federation.
“So, a ban on LSBA would automatically translate to sanctions on members of LSBA, clubs from Lagos competing in the Men and Women’s basketball leagues with no exception to the Division 1 and Division 2 cadre.
Funny enough, it was Ogunade who gave Olatona his letter of nomination from Lagos State at the venue of the event after they were duly nominated by Lagos State.
For Ahmedu, the federation is reportedly angry for allowing his club, Dodan Warriors to metamorphose into Lagos Warriors and participate in the ABL, but a quick look at the genesis of this peculiar case is enough to exonerate this retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army.
When Ahmedu won the election to be the President of the FIBA Africa zone 3, the media department of Dodan Warriors came out with a well-documented press statement announcing the restructuring of the club’s management board.
Ahmedu had to step aside due to the demands of his new office and to maintain neutrality at the zonal level since there is no constitutional provision allowing or barring the president of the zone from owning a basketball club.
So, technically, the decision to change their names to Lagos Warriors and vie for honours at the ABL after their requests were turned down to register an equally strong team for the NBBF organized Premier League was a decision made by the new management board led by former Athletics Federation of Nigeria President Dan Ngerem.
Some observers have argued that barring Ahmedu and Ogunade from the venue of the AGM may not be unconnected with the federation’s ploy to pass a new constitution ahead of the April elections for the Sports federations in Nigeria.