Tijani Umar, President of a faction of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), on Thursday said his group was ready for moves to put an end to the impasse in Nigerian basketball.
Umar told newsmen in Abuja, after emerging from a meeting convened by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), said they were ready if fresh elections were needed to end the logjam.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NOC had invited both groups in the leadership tussle, led by Umar and Musa Kida, to a meeting in another move at resolution.
The meeting had seen the NOC asking both parties to state their claims, and later asking them to meet separately to agree on a solution, before returning to the larger meeting.
However, both groups had failed to reach a compromise, leading to NOC resolving to contact them later after consultations with other stakeholders.
However, while Kida had emerged from the meeting and had decided not to talk to waiting journalists, Umar stated his position and even offered an olive branch.
“We have had a very long session, and it is a great opportunity for us to end the situation we are in.
“But it was all clear that, to FIBA through its letter of July, the two elections held in June were not in accordance with its statutes.
“So, no federation has been in place since, even though in view of letters from the NOC and the Ministry of Youths and Sports that they observed the Abuja election, the Kida group was the channel of correspondence with Nigeria.
“However, this meeting has given us an opportunity, and the NOC gave us time off from the meeting to resolve.
“We were honest with each other and it was clear to each of us that we both mean well for Nigerian basketball.
“But to us in my group, leading the federation should be through a due process, and this is what I have stood for,’’ Umar said.
He however said the other group were only trying to cry wolf where there was none in matters of eligibility to contest and guidelines for the elections.
“In 2013, some of those on the other side wrote to FIBA and others that our board came in through the Ministry of Youths and Sports.
“FIBA, at the end of it all made it clear to us all that the Ministry should henceforth not be involved, and that federations are supposed to be autonomous bodies and financially independent.
“On second thought, the other party took us to court after this and last May the court ruled in our favour.
“Since that 2013 and thereafter, we started the process of correcting all the anomalies, which involved all stakeholders, and both FIBA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have agreed with this and wished us well.
“This is what resulted in the guidelines we used for our elections in Kano on June 12. We tried to avoid what we have today by deriving our guidelines from the NBBF Constitution.
“The forces against us tried to even stop the Kano elections when they saw we were adamant, used thugs and other means of intimidation, but we stood our ground.
“But they must know that the era of interference is not possible again. You can’t impose leadership on federations again,’’ Umar said.
He however said diplomacy was what his group was adopting now in trying to resolve the crisis, and would be ready for an amicable resolution that would move the game forward.
“Effectively, the only solution is for the federation, or FIBA, to come and conduct fresh free and fair elections. We are ready for this, for the sake of the game, the players, coaches, referees, umpires, other officials and other stakeholders.
“This is what we believe will help us put away what we have on ground now,’’ Umar said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sport’s world ruling bodY, FIBA had given Nigeria up till Nov. 30 to resolve the impasse.
