Kida becomes NBBF president, Gusau promises athletics revival
Musa Ahmadu-Kida is the new president the Nigeria Basketball Federation. Kida emerged the new boss after an election held in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal capital city, Extrasportsnigeria.com reports.
He was returned unopposed in the election supervised by the Nigeria Olympic Committee Secretary, Tunde Popoola, and a sports ministry director Hauwa Kulu.
Kida is the Chairman of the Rivers State Basketball Association. Babatunde Ogunade (South-West), who like Kida was on the last board retained his position on the board.
Other elected members are Umar Isa (North-Central), Suraju Yusuf (North-West), Babashehu Bukar (North-East), Osita Nwachukwu (South-East), Prof. Musa Yakassai (NAPHERD), Sam Ahmedu (FIBA), Adamu Deshi (technical), Ejike Ugboaja (athletes’ representative) and Felix Awogu.
The Nigeria basketball system has seen a lot of strife in the last eight years. Kida again promised to unite the fragmented family.
He said, “The basketball family has to come together and unite, we need to understand that basketball is played on the court, not in the office or on the pages of newspapers. Everyone interested in basketball development will automatically be on my team.
“In my disposition, the zonal representatives are going to be very focused in basketball development at the grassroots. That will also extend to state chairmen. As Rivers basketball head, South-South representative and president of the NBBF, I’m disposed to enhancing basketball development at all levels.”
But before the sports ministry supervised elections, the immediate past president of the federation Tijjani Umar and his group had conducted another election in Kano on Monday. Umar and those elected also into the same NBBF board insist they followed the constitution of the NBBF which supersedes any other document.
Nigerians will see in the coming days how these two elections play out as a bigger crisis could be brewing in the Nigerian federation.
Also, Ibrahim Gusau and George Olamide were elected as president and vice-president of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria respectively.
The new AFN boss has promised an open door policy. Gusau, a former member of the House of Representatives polled 47 votes against the three his only challenger, former national triple jump champion, Rosa Collins got to succeed Solomon Ogba as the new man.
He said, “I am going to operate an open door policy and will be open to suggestions and constructive criticisms as we strive to reposition the sport that gave Nigeria her first Olympic gold medal.”
Gusau also promised to ensure a proper nursery is built for the sport that will produce young and enterprising athletes.
“The task before us is to develop track and field at both ends of the spectrum, at the grassroots level and at the high performance level. We will ensure there is sufficient recruitment of participants, provide programmes that enable participants to flourish, and prepare outstanding participants for representation at the next level up.
“No more will our sport remain on the pedestrian path. We shall return to the pole position in Africa and in the world. We have laid out the plans. Now that you have popularly elected our team, we shall set to work immediately.
“Our athletics is like a nation coming out of war. There are destructions and debris everywhere. We must start from the scratch. We must begin from ground zero. The remnants of war will be picked and reconstructed.”
George, a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly polled 43 votes against the three polled by former Nigerian and Africa’s queen of the track, Mary Onyali.
The new federation heads
1) Tikon Ishiaku – Table Tennis
2) Hassan Haruna – Darts
3) Francis Porbeni – Sailing/Canoeing/Rowing-
4) Olagunsoye Oyinlola – Golf
5) Souliman Gore – Scrabble
6) Giandomenico Massari – Cycling
7) Daniel Igali – Wresting.
8 Ahmadu Kida – Basketball.
9) Musa Nimrod – Volleyball.
10) Kelvin Erhuwunse Gymnastics.
11) Ibrahim Gusau – Athletics
12) Silas Agara – Karate
13) Francis Orbih-Badminton.
14) Sam Oche – Handball.
15) Prof Adam Yahaya – Cricket
16) Abdul Ningi- Hockey.
17) Lonsdale Adeoye- Shooting.
18) Margaret Binga – Taekwondo.
19) Dayo Akindoju- Tennis.
20) Kenneth Minimah – Boxing
21) Fatayi Williams – Aquatics
22) Prince Timothy Nsirim – Judo
23) Olagunsoye Oyinlola- Golf
24) Mohd Yahaya – Weightlifting
25) Usman Ahmed – Deafsports
26) Scrabble: Gora Suleiman
27) Boye Oyerinde – Squash
28) Lekan Adeyemi-Chess