BY ANDREW EKEJIUBA
Federation of International Basketball Associations’ hammer may fall on Nigeria any moment following the federal government’s ongoing meddling in the internal governance of basketball in the country.
Reports have shown that Nigeria may be kicked out of international basketball beginning with the FIBA Men’s World Cup qualifiers later this month.
Many stakeholders of the game are worried about the game’s future because of the government-backed taskforce that was recently appointed to oversee the Nigeria Basketball Federation affairs pending its election, which the government has indefinitely postponed.
Head Coach of Heritage Basketball Academy, John Preye, expressed similar sentiments in response to the government’s decision to take over the responsibilities of the NBBF, with plans to organize the Men’s Final 8 of the Men’s Premier Basketball League as well as take charge of the men and women’s national teams.
In response to these developments, Preye claims that if FIBA decides to ban Nigeria, the game of basketball will be thrown into a new cycle of crisis after four years of international brilliance and continental dominance by men’s and women’s teams.
“I am extremely concerned because Nigeria faces a FIBA ban as a result of this unwholesome government interference, which is in violation of Article 9.10 of the FIBA General Statutes.
“How can you assume the responsibilities of an existing board when there isn’t a vacancy in the administration?
“If FIBA’s hammer falls on Nigeria, Nigerians should know who to blame. I assure you, there’s a lot of bad blood and filthy politics in Nigeria’s basketball family,” he said with a tinge of regret.
He revealed that some powerful people in the corridors of power were using their position to ruin the game rather than improve it for the greater good.
According to him, the government’s recent move to hijack the federation, which violates all constitutional requirements in the 2019 NBBF Constitution, which was lawfully ratified by FIBA, is linked to the General Assembly’s rejection of tenure elongation.
