Sports

“Nigeria’s basketball has suffered 10 months of painful distractions” – Musa Kida

Published

7 years ago

May 26, 2018

Do you love basketball but are worried just where Nigerian basketball is headed to in the recent past? Well, you aren’t alone.

Musa Kida, the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) expressed a grim state of basketball that Nigeria has gone through. He was expressing his opinions while he hosted the attendees of the NBBF 2018 Stakeholders Meeting at the Savannah Conference. The conference was held in Abuja on Friday at the auditorium of the National Institute Sports.

The fans of the game were just waiting to hear this as they have full support for their team and want to bet on local Nigerian basketball now with Betway online.

He spoke about the crisis regarding the leadership which was plaguing the board and hindering the growth of basketball in the nation. He said the Nigeria’s basketball had to face a painful time for the last 10 months. He said that they would have been able to do more if all the stakeholders in the game were able to express themselves in one voice. But his post and the work have not been to the mark and could have made much more progress if they didn’t have to face the distractions.

He also expressed his regrets on other facts but also said they are going to work harmoniously for the improvement of basketball.

The Other Things to Note

Nigerian basketball has had its periods of glory and fans would want the team to bounce back and perform better.

Kida, for instance, expressed his regret that the policy thrusts that were required to unite all the stakeholders together had eluded him since the time he had become the president of the board. He said the he felt personally responsible as all the stakeholders couldn’t be united under a single umbrella which would have enabled much more improvements.

How Can We Make Nigerian Basbetball Better?

The problem seems to be in the way the sports institution is being run in the country when it comes to basketball. Basketball fans deserve better and while you may think that all is lost, it may not be necessarily so.

Kida did have a few worlds of encouragement, when he said he is going to work with all the stakeholders for the betterment of the game if the sentiments are set aside. He didn’t want to make any separation between them and us- he was all in to join his hands with all the stakeholders and take back Nigeria basketball to the level it deserves.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the meeting in Abuja was attended by the NBBF stakeholders to tackle the northern structural demarcation which was called the Savannah Conference. There was a similar kind of meeting held on May 16 at Lagos which had participants coming from the Atlantic Conference. The president was ready to consider both the meetings as historic as such meetings were never held in both conferences which will now bring a greater participation from everyone.

Sports

New Eagles Squad Excites WizKids

Published

3 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has expressed his satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ preparation ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in Kigali.
The team, now under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Eric Chelle, held its first training session on Tuesday afternoon.
Reacting to the new squad, Wizkid took to his X handle on Wednesday, writing, “New Super Eagles team! (I) love the energy,” he wrote.
The crucial qualifier is set to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda on Friday, March 21, with kickoff scheduled for 5 pm Nigerian time.
Following the match, Nigeria will return home to face Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles must secure maximum points from both fixtures to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria’s current squad features several in-form players, including Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Genk’s Tolu Arokodare and Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
The match against Rwanda will be Chelle’s first game in charge of the three-time African champions, who are desperate for a positive result to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive.
The Super Eagles last played at the Amahoro Stadium in September 2024, where they were held to a goalless draw by Rwanda.

Sports

NLO Tasks Clubs To Complete Players’ Facial Registration

Published

3 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

The Nationwide League One (NLO) has mandated the clubs that make up the Division One and U19 Youth League to complete their players’ facial verification process.
The Secretariat of the nation’s third-tier league regulatory body via its media department gave reasons on the essence of exercise as the March 30th players’ registration deadline draws near.
According to the NLO, clubs must complete facial verification for each player during registration to prevent duplicate registrations.
As regards players that have already been registered, the NLO explained that if a player fails verification (already registered with another club), the holding club must release the player. The NLO Admin will confirm the release and allow the verification of such a player for the new club.
The NLO stressed the importance of the release documentation and Registration Window Closure.
Releasing clubs must upload the player’s release document. This document will be reviewed and verified by the NLO Admin.
After the registration window closes, clubs cannot sign new players.
With the introduction of the new facial recognition technology, all clubs must register both their existing and new players.
These updates ensure a fair and transparent registration system. For assistance, clubs should contact NLO support.

Sports

Aruna Up For $275k WTT Chennai

Published

3 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, will contest in the maiden WTT Contender Chennai in India after he was picked as a replacement for German star, Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The WTT Contender Chennai is the fifth WTT event of the year and marks the first staging of the series in the City.
The event which has a prize purse of $270,000 will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, India from March 25 to 30.
Aruna and nine other players have been confirmed for the men’s singles including his African rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar.3.
Other players confirmed so far include Denmark’s Jonathan Groth (17), Hugo Calderano of Brazil (6) and world number four Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.
The 36-year-old has played in two WTT events this year.
In January, he made it as far as the semi-finals in the WTT Star Contender in Doha where he lost in straight sets to Japanese sensation Tomokazu Harimoto.
Last Wednesday, the world number 19 crashed out of the WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 after suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to world number two Wang Chuqin of China in their round of 32 clash.
Aruna will hope to put up a more commanding show in India, as he has been tipped to shine by the world body.
“Stay tuned. There’s more to come from Quadri Aruna in India,” WTT captioned Aruna’s video on Monday after announcing his participation.
WTT Executive Director of Events Mounir Bessah also said the competition is a bold step forward as they expect Aruna and other players to deliver a memorable spectacle.
“Chennai’s inclusion in the WTT Series calendar underscores our mission to expand the reach of table tennis globally while honouring the sport’s passionate fanbase in India. With a venue like the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the support of Tamil Nadu’s government, we are ready to deliver an unforgettable spectacle for players and fans.”