Basketball

2020 Tokyo Olympics : Kida Applauds Sunday Dare For Support

Published

5 years ago

September 8, 2021

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Caretaker Committee Chairman Engineer Ahmadu Musa Kida has expressed appreciation to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development Chief Sunday Dare for the supportive role he played during the Tokyo Olympics Games.

Engr Kida who spoke in Abuja said the Minister worked assiduously to ensure that the he lapses created on the Nigeria Basketball teams by the International Olympic Committee through the Nigeria Olympic Committee were corrected
“I commend the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Chief Sunday Dare on his role in ensuring that the Basketball teams have a full complement of their officials at the Olympics games in Tokyo “.

The NBBF boss said with the incident that happened at the Olympics, both the IOC and NOC can be accused of tactically sabotaged the efforts of the Nigeria Basketball teams from getting to the podium at the games.

The Chairman further described the wrong instruction given to the Nigeria Basketball Federation by the International Olympic Committee through National Olympic Committee (NOC) before the event as assumed sabotage that became a cog in the wheel of acceleration of Nigeria teams at the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.

According to him, “we were always entitled to a full complements of our officials in the Games, but after our preparations, and getting to the Olympic proper, the NOC came with the a directive that we are only entitled to only 3 officials which included only two technical officials.

” I was very sad to understand that they are only going to allow three of our technical officials, instead of the eight or nine which we are already used to. This actually affected the team immensely and cost us the first two games”.

“We became more suspicious when the games began, we discovered that other countries were carrying full complements of their coaches and officials, even countries that do no have as many athletes as we did”.

“From there, the players became demoralized no doubt, as they could not have their coaches that could be giving them the needed technical talks. What NBBF did though, was to make sure that everybody was on ground. That hurt us so badly, no doubt about it.”

“We interrogated the Basketball governing body FIBA who actually claimed ignorance on why such an instructions came from the IOC at the Olympics. It was the same situation for the men and the women teams ” Kida stated

Kida said, “seeing the situation on ground, the Minister rallied round to see that there were increase in the number of our officials for the teams”.

“The Minister really helped us in all out by ensuring that we had an increase in the number of officials, by then, we had lost the first two matches at the Olympics. It was through the efforts of the Minister that the camp was finalized without any issue . This was enough boost for us, we can’t thank the Minister enough”.

“Nigerians should be proud of us, for us to go to the Olympics, there were many basketball nations that could not make it but as for Nigeria, both Men and Women teams participated, I take pride in that and I would like us to build on that, and want Nigerians to Commend the Minister for his support” Kida concluded.

Share on Facebook

Basketball

Fresh Ideas, Science Needed to Revitalise Basketball —ABA

Published

6 days ago

September 27, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

President/Founder, Amateur Basketball Academies, ABA, Aliyu Lucky Abubakar has called for a scientific and pragmatic approach to rediscovering the game of basketball in the North East.

The former player of many teams in Nigeria stated this on Saturday during training of coaches in Yola, Adamawa State.

Aliyu said the training is aimed to arm Coaches so they can, in turn, reach the children, especially those that ABA may not. The Deputy Comptroller in Nigeria Customs Service decried non-challant attitudes of the stakeholders in the development of basketball in the North East.

” Basketball is fading in the North East, and we at ABA will not allow it to die.”

“Adamawa was once a force in the game of basketball but had fallen behind. Our plan is to discover talent through coaching training, nurture it, and carry it from state level to the national team, and eventually, the global stage.” The basketball administrator said.

In his keynote message to the participants, which centered on the theme, “HOPE,” Harnessing opportunity, Organising for excellence, Promoting players’ development, and Empowering the next generation, Aliyu said, is far more than a drill instructors.

” Every child you see on a basketball court has a dream, and it is our job as a coach to spot it early and give it somewhere to go.” He concluded.

In his lecture titled, ” Who is a Coach”, Emmanuel Odah, the head Coach, FCT Basketball and former National Juniors team, described a coach as a committed, organised, affectionate, caring and humble.

” Commitment is consistency, and consistency is mother of progress; humility comes first because a coach who can not control himself can never control a game,” Odah insisted.

Other instructors at the training include ABA head of technical, Coach Adeka Daudu, as well as Coach Alexander Anyebe Ujoh, who spoke about the relationship between a coach and child in his care.

Coaches at the training commended ABA for its boldness to give hopes to basketball coaches all over the country. They promised that lessons learned would reshape and reset their mind on the job. They said the training will help them in understanding their role not only as an instructor but also grooming the children for a better future.

Among guests at the event include FCT Acting Director of Sports, Mr. Iyiola Ogundele and Bayelsa Veteran Basketball administrator, Coach Tony

Share on Facebook