NBBF calls on Sports Minister to resolve federation crisis

The President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Igoche Mark, has called on the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare to fashion out solutions to the crisis rocking the federation.

Mark made the call to draw the attention of the ministry to salvage the sport that has experienced a great decline at the grassroots level.

According to him, the ministry is aware of the crisis rocking NBBF and has promised to wade in to help resolve the imbroglio.

While he avowed that the ministry know the right thing to do, he urged them to be expedient and decisive in their actions.

NBBF presently parades two presidents. Igoche Mark came in through the federation’s election held in Abuja on January 31, 2002, and Ahmadu Musa Kida emerged in another federation’s election held the same date in Benin, The Trumpet gathered.

Mark said, “I believe the minister and the ministry have the best interest of the basketball game at heart. They know the right thing to do and I believe they will do it.

“But it is time they all come out and specifically say something and do what is right about what we have on ground now,” he added.

The NBBF president decried the level of inconsistency in the development of basketball which is one of the resultant effects of the crisis, noting that the ministry is aware of the existence of both factions.

Mark, perturbed about the delay in the ministry’s resolutions, revealed that a series of meetings have been held with them to resolve the crisis rocking the basketball federation.

He said, “The minister has said the ministry was aware there were two elections, and that they would look into the issue and come out with a position. But I wonder why this has been taking too long.

“We have had several forms of communication with them, in terms of physical engagements and correspondences, and I think we should know where we are by now.

“Enough is enough. We should by now be delivering on our promise to the Nigerian basketball family, and there should be no going back and forth,” Mark added

The NBBF President, soliciting on behalf of the players who need a crisis-free federation, lamented that the much attention being given to the sport at the world, continent and Olympic level without recourse to the grassroots level is detrimental to its development.

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He said: “But here we are still talking about the crisis in the federation. I think we should have moved beyond this by now. And, I do believe we should all rise together to bring basketball out of the situation we are presently in.

“It should not be about the World or African Championship or the Olympics we have been attending, but about a united home front, about the domestic game, about grassroots development, and about the players.

“And this is why I am standing with the players, in their call for a crisis-free Nigerian game. They are the mainstay of our sport and they have been abandoned and neglected for long.

“They must therefore be listened to, and they are saying they want to play the game. I don’t think that is too much for them to ask,” he added.

The NBBF president continued: “The situation we have now is that there is a group who have nothing to offer basketball and who are trying to dismantle the good things they met on ground.

“And it is all because of personal interests and the desire to make for themselves some retirement benefits.

“But I and the members of the NBBF board will not be distracted. We will be focused and we will focus on how to move the game forward, from the grassroots up to the international level.

“The important thing is to provide the space for the players to do their thing and play the game. The local league that has not been there for about five years now should be back,” Mark added.