By Ado Salisu
Fresh controversy has erupted within the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), as some members of its board have denied reports of their resignation and accused the federation’s leadership of attempting to extend its tenure.
The development comes less than seven weeks before the expiration of the current board’s tenure, amid concerns over the delay in commencing the process for a fresh elective congress in line with expectations of the international basketball governing body, FIBA.
Speaking in Abuja, the North-Central representative on the NBBF board, Adamu Deshi, dismissed reports that some members of the board had resigned, saying no such resignation had taken place.
Deshi claimed that FIBA had extended the tenure of the NBBF board to October 16, 2026, saying the extension covered all members of the existing board.
He also alleged that reports of resignation were part of an attempt by the outgoing NBBF president, Engineer Musa Kida, to evade accountability over his administration before the full board and the NBBF Congress.
According to him, Kida had recently held meetings with five board members considered loyal to him, while allegedly excluding eight other members who had raised concerns over the running of the federation.
Deshi accused the NBBF leadership of violating provisions of the federation’s constitution, including allegedly failing to convene a congress for about four years, lack of adequate financial accountability and the unilateral suspension of officials or removal of elected board members.
He specifically mentioned the Technical Representative, Scott Nnaji, and Players’ Representative, Stanley Gumut, as among those allegedly removed from their positions.
Deshi said such actions could not be taken unilaterally by the NBBF president, citing Article 21.11 (1)(a-e) of the federation’s constitution, which provides for the grounds and procedures for removing board members.
He maintained that a resignation must be expressly submitted in writing, while other grounds for removal include conviction for a criminal offence, subject to approval by Congress.
“Musa Kida is not the Congress of the NBBF,” Deshi said, insisting that the president had no authority to exclude duly elected board members from the activities of the federation.
He also rejected the claim that the affected board members had failed to attend three consecutive meetings, another provision contained in the federation’s constitution.
According to him, the affected members were not formally invited to attend NBBF board meetings and could therefore not be accused of deliberately refusing to attend.
Complaint to NSC
The dispute has now been brought before the National Sports Commission (NSC), with Deshi disclosing that seven of the eight board members allegedly excluded from the latest meeting had submitted a formal complaint to the commission.
The complaint followed a meeting reportedly held on August 13, 2026, involving Kida and five board members.
The NSC has yet to make a public statement on the complaint, the proposed NBBF elective congress or separate allegations of financial mismanagement levelled against the federation’s leadership.
With the current board’s tenure reportedly running until October 16, concerns are mounting over the absence of a clearly announced electoral timetable as the deadline approaches.
Deshi urged stakeholders to disregard reports that board members had resigned, insisting that no such resignations had occurred.
The latest development has further deepened the leadership crisis within Nigerian basketball and renewed calls for the NBBF to clarify its electoral roadmap, constitutional compliance and financial accountability ahead of the expiration of the current board’s tenure.
