Sports
NBBF Is Focused On The Way Forward – Kida
President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida has spoken with newsmen on the issue of legitimacy and why they have not been able to function.
“For me, what we are trying to do is to try and disseminate whatever information that is on ground. So typically, when FIBA recognised us on the 8th of March, we have been reaching out to them, collating the types of activities that are very localised so that we can feed them in to the handbook programme of events. We are reaching out to them on things that have been happening before, like the Division one and two men’s league.
We have also been reaching out to our sponsors, some of who are a bit hesitant and asking questions as to what is happening.
Like I said, our constitution has very strong demands on the structure but we need authority from the ministry to function. You cannot give me an assignment without the authority to do the work. We are very focused on the way forward.
“I don’t believe there was election in any other place. Who were the delegates, who voted for who? These are the simple basic questions that even a simple village meeting will ask and seek answers to. All these things are enshrined in the constitution as a matter of protocol. There was only one election, which held in Benin. I know what we did and the results are obvious. We had our constitution since 2019,” Kida added.
Tidesports source reports that Kida explained that both the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Nigeria Olympic Committee have approved, saying that, their election has been very strict and rigorous. There was even a legal test of what they did, which passed wonderfully.
“We are very clear as the bonafide board. For whatever reasons I don’t know, but it looks like a wild goose chase the other side,” he said.
Speaking on International programmes, he said that lnternational programmes are international programmes, I will not go into them. Locally, we have a calendar of events. Our men’s divisions 1 & 2 leagues sponsored by Total are still there, the women’s division 1 league sponsored by Zenith Bank is still there. We have an infusion of some tournaments and leagues by people who have brought proposals.
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.
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.
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.”
