Sports
NBBF Builds Stronger Bond With FG, As Domestic Basketball Activities Resume In Earnest
Joel Ajayi
The board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation on weekend met in Lagos to chat about the way forward ahead of the 2022 domestic and international basketball season.
The meeting presided over by its President; Engr Musa Kida, lasted four hours. It provided an opportunity for all members to come together physically to chart a way forward for the next four years as the board thanked the Federal Government for their usual support towards developing sports in Nigeria.
While addressing journalists, he disclosed that things have started taking shape with the domestic activities set to tip-off after the traditional stakeholders’ meeting.
“The fact that we can meet today and the Secretary-General who is a ministry staff member is here and the Assistant SG is also here means that the ministry is already participating in what we do. Going forward, I think it is much brighter than we have experienced in the past, where we are going to have the desired collaboration with the ministry to execute our programs”.
The federation maintained that it has no intention of contesting or competing with the Ministry of Sports in carrying out its statutory functions as the supervisory body but is focused on working out a seamless synergy to accelerate basketball development and growth in Nigeria.
“I will want to make it clear that we, as a board, have no interest whatsoever in contesting with the ministry in its sphere of statutory influence.”
“They have their supervisory and statutory job to do by way of supervising bodies like us but they have allowed us to constitute ourselves into federations that can run these activities within the territory of the country”, Kida said.
“I do think we are helping them deliver on basketball development in the country. Going forward, I think the proof is very evident, we are all on board here.”
Present at the meeting were Engr Musa Kida (President), Babs Ogunade (Vice President), Adamu Jalong (North Central Representative), Olumide Oyedeji (South West Representative), Ugo Udezue (South East Representative), Prof Musa Yakassai (NapherSD), Felix Awogu (Sponsors Representative) and Victor Okoro (Military and Para-Military Representative).
The trio of Col. Samuel Ahmedu (International Representative), Prof. Florence Adeyanju (NAWISS Representative), and Alhaji Abba Kaka Abdulkadir (North East Representative) all joined via zoom.
Sports
NLO’s Shola Ogunowo Earns Praise for Driving Grassroots Football and Exemplifying Integrity
Joel Ajayi
The Nigerian football community has lauded Mr. Shola Ogunowo, Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One (NLO), for his unwavering commitment to integrity and the development of grassroots football, earning him widespread respect and admiration across the sporting landscape.
In a statement released in Abuja and signed by Okechukwu Okebugwu, Mr. Ogunowo was praised as a transformative leader who has redefined the ethics and standards of football administration at the grassroots level. According to the release, Ogunowo has emerged as a “leading figure in the fight against match-fixing, bribery, and all forms of corruption” that have plagued the lower tiers of Nigerian football for decades.
Through consistent enforcement of transparency, fairness, and accountability, Mr. Ogunowo is steering the NLO toward becoming a credible platform where talent can be discovered and nurtured based on merit, rather than manipulation or favoritism.
“In an environment where shortcuts and compromises are all too common, Shola Ogunowo has remained a pillar of integrity,” Okebugwu stated. “He is restoring credibility to grassroots football by ensuring that fair play, discipline, and professionalism are non-negotiable.”
Since taking over as COO, Ogunowo has spearheaded a number of structural reforms aimed at instilling discipline and operational excellence among participating clubs. These include stricter licensing requirements, performance audits, and compliance monitoring to ensure clubs uphold the league’s code of conduct. His administration has also emphasized youth development, with a renewed focus on coaching education and player welfare.
The result is a reinvigorated Nationwide League One that is beginning to attract renewed attention from fans, corporate sponsors, and local communities. Observers say Ogunowo’s leadership is helping reshape perceptions of grassroots football—not just as a stepping stone to the elite leagues, but as a vital foundation for the future of Nigerian football.
“His leadership is not only impacting the pitch—it’s rebuilding trust, creating real value, and setting a good standard for sports administration in Nigeria,” Okebugwu concluded.
As the NLO season progresses, many stakeholders believe that with figures like Shola Ogunowo at the helm, the future of grassroots football in Nigeria is not only secure, but promising.
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