Nigeria Basketball Federation has threatened to ban clubs who decide to participate in the 2018 Kwese Premier Basketball League scheduled to commence on May 6.
In a statement signed by the NBBF Secretary, Asiegbu Chimezie said this pronouncement became necessary to avoid what happened last season where clubs said they were not officially informed to stay away from tournaments not sanctioned by the NBBF.
“The Federation of International Basketball Associations has made its position known regarding Basketball issues in Nigeria. It is clear who is in charge of basketball affairs in the country until such time that a new constitution will be drafted which will usher in the elections”.
Asiegbu said that as the only body recognized by FIBA, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Nigeria Olympic Committee, the NBBF board under Engineer Musa Kida is the only body authorized to organize the country’s National Premier Competition from where the Champions and the Runners Up will be selected to represent Nigeria in any international Club Competition.
The Secretary said that those sympathetic to the group led by the former President of the NBBF may argue that the federation is not under any elected board at the moment but there are individuals currently saddled with running its affairs and corresponding with FIBA.
“No other person or group of persons can hold itself out as the NBBF. FIBA is presently dealing with Ahmadu Musa Kida (President), Babatunde Ogunade (Vice President) and Chimezie Asiegbu (Secretary General) as contained in the last FIBA letter of 13th March, 2018 and captured on the FIBA website under the Nigeria Basketball Federation column.”
The memo further stated that apart from the monetary incentives being dangled before the teams, their participations will also not qualify them for any international competition which includes the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Champions Cup Qualifiers and the FIBA Champions Cup Final rounds which have now metamorphosed into the FIBA Afro league.
“The Kwese Premier League Sponsorship Agreement is with the NBBF and not with an individual. We do hope therefore that the Kwese/NBBF Sponsorship Agreement is not being converted to Sponsorship of a competition that is not under the purview of the NBBF or plans to that effect.
He urged all stakeholders to take reasonable steps to protect the integrity of Nigerian basketball Federation and the future of the game
