The North East Basketball Association has expressed its support for the NBBF stand and statement issued on May 25, 2022, calling on all basketball stakeholders and players to boycott all Federal Ministry of Youth And Sports organized basketball jamborees called games or tournaments or any similar activities due to pulling the game out of international tournaments by the Ministry. 

” It is obvious to us all that the Ministry of Sports and the Minister are being remotely controlled by enemies of the game. Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that the ministry can make a U-turn to its own press statement of  September 30, 2021? 
“Were they clearly stated that there is only one NBBF Constitution of 2019, vetted and approved by both the ministry, NOC, and FIBA. That the NBBF should proceed with the election and any other issues of the amendment should be done in line with the Constitution and after the Election. 

“It simply does not make sense other than greed and selfishness over national interest. How can you pull out the only game that brought fame and glory to Nigeria in the last 4 years? Both Men and Women’s national teams qualified for the World Cup at the same time, a first on record for Nigeria. 

“We categorically condemn this in the strongest terms. This ill-informed and not well thought out decision by the Minister. We are calling on all players and stakeholders to be calm and patient as we are working hard to make sure that decision is reversed immediately.

“To our ladies who have already qualified for the World Cup, we say, your efforts will not be in vain. Most states in Nigeria have already said they will not participate in the ministry activities and the North East cannot be left behind. That is why the Ministry is putting pressure on the zonal offices to draft and register any team or player who wants to play in the jamboree. 

“When we came on board 4 years ago, basketball was at ground zero. We worked hard to turn around the game. For example, Borno State featured and qualified for the first time in the national championship in the past 16 Years. Both Taraba and Adamawa (both Men and Women Teams), qualified twice both at Division 2 and Zenith league played in Abuja and Lagos. While Yobe consistently maintained their division one spot and came 3rd at the National Championship in Lagos.
” How can any Minister Say there is no grassroots games in Nigeria.? Or Sponsors? Sunday Dare, forgot that both Zenith Bank and Total Energies are big corporate sponsors of the game.

In fact, the Minister was at Eko Le Meridien Hotel where he himself unveil the Total Division 2 N150m  sponsorship deal for 5 years. All the Above happened when Tijjani Umar, who was the ex-NBBF president finished his 8-year disastrous tenure and collected $2.2 Million dollars from the Econet of South Africa for a domestic kwese league. Money that was not deposited in the NBBF account nor returned to the sponsor.

 
“For us in the North-East zone, such a betrayal from someone in the same zone can never be forgotten or forgiven as our youth were left in distress and at the mercy of Boko Haram to recruit them. The same hard work and dedication by the NBBF under the leadership of Eng. Ahmadu Musa Kida led both the men’s and women’s national teams to become the best in Africa and qualified for the World Cup at the same time (the first time Record for Nigeria) and the Olympics. 

“The women won back to back to back(3 times another record) for Nigeria. Our record and that of the President of NBBF speaks volume. Who had to advance his own money when government money was not available to succeed. ( Only half of his money was Refunded to date.) We stand with the NBBF and the President Eng. Kida and Constitution and Statutes of the FIBA.

“We are calling on the President Muhammadu Buhari, who is a lover of sports to remove this minister without any delay as he is out to rubbish his achievements in sports and tanish the image of Nigiria as we are already a laughing stoke in the world of Sports by this stupid decision to pull out Nigeria for 2 years from international  Basketball,” Abba Kaka, the North East Zonal Representative on the NBBF board stated.

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