Sports
Kida Emerges NBBF’s President
Elections into the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) board, organised for another faction of the sport’s family by the federal ministry of Youths and Sports, failed to hold as scheduled in Abuja last Tuesday.
Rather, it was held at Ibro Hotel later than earlier scheduled, with the ministry announcing in a statement later that Musa Kida, the Rivers State Basketball Association Chairman, had emerged as President.
Tidesports source gathered that a storm had been brewing since the Federation disagreed with the ministry on the guidelines for the elections.
This had led to the Tijani Umar-led board saying it would not conduct its elections on June 13 as scheduled by the ministry which had within three weeks twice redeployed the federation’s secretaries-general.
The NBBF leadership however went on to conduct its elections in Kano, on Monday where Umar emerged as President.
The ministry was quick to describe the Kano elections as illegal, insisting that the Abuja elections of Tuesday would go on as scheduled.
However, the elections venue at the Abuja on Tuesday National Stadium in Abuja was empty when other federations’ elections began.
No accreditation commenced, while there were no delegates or contestants as at 8 a.m. when accreditation of all other sports federations’ elections began.
News later filtered in around 1 p.m. at the Abuja National Stadium that the elections were ongoing at one hotel in Wuse.
Hours later, a sports ministry statement, signed by the Director of Press, Tolu Makinde, indicated that the elections were held, but it did not disclose where it was held.
According to the statement, Kida, who was the South-South representative emerged as President unopposed.
“He was elected unopposed in an election conducted in line with the guidelines approved by the ministry of sports,’’ Makinde said in the statement.
He added that Babatunde Ogunade emerged as Vice-President, while other board members included Osita Nwachukwu, Adamu Sirajo, Baba Bukar, and Isah Umar.
The rest are Adamu Deshi, Ejike Ugboaja, Musa Garba, Sam Ahmedu and Felix Awogu, who are representatives of technical bodies, players, NAPHER-SD, FIBA and sponsors.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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