By Magnus Oku
It’s a universally accepted truism that the lies we tell other people are nothing to the lies we tell ourselves. The attention of sport-loving Nigerians has been drawn to the recent claims by the NBBF chairman Mr. Musa Kida, which has proved to be inconsistent due to a lack of real facts and credibility.
We are all aware of the frustration caused by poor management of NBBF under Kida; the D’Tigress National team, and sports lovers during the recent competition in Cameroon due to their refusal to release funds to the D’Tkigres even after they have been long mobilized with sufficient funds to ensure effective representation of Nigeria at the tournament and running of the sector.
In every sport, funds released to the sector is meant to be utilized judiciously and prudently without any form of bias, misappropriation, or self-centeredness. This has not been the case with NBBF Boss Eng Kida sidelined and relegated a performing National team like D’Tigress, denying them what rightly belongs to them as a team.
Kida, who had been long silent, unconcerned, and detached on the matter, recently gave a reply. Still, his defense has proven quite inconsistent and only helped to reveal all the lapses created by the present NBBF’s leadership.
To say it straight, Kida’s response has proven to be a simple attempt to escape public scrutiny. The big question is: “why should funds allocated to the federation not service National female team like D’Tigress?”
We can recall that the former minister Solomon Dalung submitted in this because, as a former serving Minister, he has the authentic records and can only cry foul when he sees the contrary. Kida has attempted to debunk those facts but having listened to the videos posted by D’Tigress, one can see a lot of loopholes in Kida’s argument, but that’s a story for another day. Truth us that THE FACTS CANNOT LIE
We recall that over one billion was released earlier in 2019 and then recently was 774 million naira released to the federation before the tournament but the female basketball team was never considered in any of this fund release but was rather relegated to the background after thier labor and hard-work to help secure the throphy and glory for Nigera.
One would have thought that as an experienced sports administrator, Kida should have used his good descration to promptly intervane in the financial crises of the sector and save the FG and the sector a bad image but Instead of that, he was missing in action though they were claims that he was down with Covid -19. However it was rather shocking to see how the same man re-surface at the trophy to resentation by the representatives of the basketball female team.
Well, it is apt to say that the central factor here is that Kida and his leadership team can’t deny that they lack accountability in what is committed into their hands to service the federation. Insisting that funds sent to the federation are mainly for one segment is an issue of great misuse and relegation of the female representatives. There is nothing to defend as NBBF’s present leadership has proven incompetent, self-centered, and unaccountable to anyone. There has indeed been very poor accountability, and the ministry of youths and sports has to do something about that.
Suppose Kida has held into the claims that all these billions were only assigned to the male team. How about the $230,000, which is approximately 115 million naira, also sent to the girls as a donation? Why were they also denied that money and several other support funds from multinationals? We can’t continue this way and expect drastic growth from the sector. Every growth is powered by selfless leadership and outstanding commitment. If we must grow and indeed stand tall as the giant of Africa, then we must change our leadership mindset and elect the right persons to the position of leadership.
We want to call on all leaders of the several sports federations to live up to expectations so as to give hope to the upcoming generation. Another federation election is almost, and it will be wise for us to choose a man who represents the interest of hardworking athletes to ensure our real growth unto greatness.
Oku is a stakeholder in the sports and entertainment industry of Nigeria. He writes from Lagos, Nigeria.