Nigeria basketball players and other stakeholders have asked former President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Engr. Musa Kida to allow peace reign.
The plea by the players and other stakeholders is coming after the Ministry of Youth and Sports development put a stop to proposed NBBF election.
Players representative-elect Stanley Gumut who spoke on behalf of others in a press briefing said, “We want to appreciate the federal ministry of Youth and Sport. We started this journey few weeks back demanding that the right thing be done to Basketball. Uptill yesterday, the permanent secretary has shown us leadership. He has shown us that he’s a father that is ready to listen to us. Our prayer is that the former caretaker committee will stop parading himself as a caretaker chairman, so as to allow for a fair playing ground, that is very important because if this thing continue to linger it means we are not headed anywhere yet.
“We so desire that our league be brought back to us at the end of all this bruhaha. The national league should be brought back to us, our age grade games be brought back to us, as well as female premier league which we have so missed in this country.
“We used the ministry guidelines to do the other elections, why are they now saying go to Benin and finish up the whole story, it’s a big question. If there’s no cockroach in the cupboard, let’s come back to the FCT and do it, so that it will be under supervision of everyone stakeholder. Media will be there, everyone will have access to it just as other federation did their own that’s all we are calling for.”
On welfare of players vis-a-vis recent payment of backlog call mostly by D’Tigress players, Gumut said, “To be fair to sport minister, he has responded to that effect, of which we are yet to see what Kida has to say or do concerning that. Yes, these female athletes do not reside in Nigeria, yes we have a line of communication with them but we are not in anyway instigating anything. It’s only timely because we need to end this dictatorship.
“The secretary general of NBBF has reached out to all stakeholders and directors of sport, confirming that the release is authentic and from permanent secretary.”
The Ministry through the permanent secretary had issued a press release which halted NBBF elected scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2021.
