Stakeholders in the game of basketball have expressed dismay at what they described as an “illegal fund-raising ceremony” by the dissolved board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
The dissolved NBBF board held a fund-raiser for N500m in Lagos on May 19 and many were left wondering why it was necessary, seeing as all national sports federations’ boards have been dissolved.
One of those aspiring for the presidency of the NBBF board, Musa Kida, claimed to have been stunned that, despite the compliance of other federations with the Federal Government’s directive, the NBBF chose to unnecessarily test its might against the government.
The representative of the South-South on the NBBF board said though the organisers realised a meagre N2.8m – way off the N500m target – there could be no arguing the illegality of the said event.
Meanwhile, the proprietor of Lagos Warriors Basketball Club and former NBBF board member, Col. Samuel Ahmedu (Rtd.), described the event as a “bad move” by a board which “lacked the credibility to hold brief” for the NBBF.
Ahmedu questioned the intention behind the suspicious and urgent move to raise money, months after the federation announced a $12m sponsorship deal with an international media organisation, Kwese Sports.
“The N500m NBBF fund-raiser is questionable, because it was rushed with other extraneous considerations by the dissolved board members of the federation. Though the management of Inspire Management gave its best, it was doomed to fail because the members lacked credibility, having outlived their tenure and usefulness.”
On his part, chairman of the Lagos State Basketball Association, Babs Ogunade, described the event as “totally ill-advised, with criminal intention,” while the representative of the South-West wondered what authority the board had to organise the event and what the objective behind the event was.
