NBBF Board Delivers Results While Critics Trade in Headlines
Sports Correspondent
Despite criticisms from naysayers, the Engr. Musa Kida led board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation has continued to be focused on the growth of basketball in the country especially the D’Tigress.
While a group of self-styled “Concerned Members of the Outgone NBBF Board” have spent recent weeks convening press conferences, issuing petitions, and demanding that the Nigeria Basketball Federation be declared headless, the current NBBF board has been tailoring the game in the right path.
One of such moves was the board meeting which took place at the Lagos Boat Club on Saturday, March 1, 2026, where Musa Kida and seven out of nine board members reviewed the 2025 activities report, approved the 2026 budget, finalised preparations for D’Tigress’s World Cup qualifier campaign.
The board also secured multiple commercial partnerships that will sustain Nigerian basketball for years to come alongside a detailed official communiqué signed by board members Felix Awogu, Ugo Udezue, and Akeem Busari documenting decisions that will shape the sport’s future.
This is a sharp contrast with what critics are painting the NBBF board to be using press conferences, baseless petitions and kangaroo interpretations of the constitution.
The March 1 communiqué reveals a federation in full operational mode where the board reviewed and adopted the 2025 activities report, including all standing committee reports. It expressed satisfaction with the successful hosting of the 2025 NBBF Premier League, the continued growth and stability of the Zenith Bank Women’s Leagues, and most significantly D’Tigress’s historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket championship triumph in Abidjan, which qualified Nigeria for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The Sponsorship and Marketing Committee report received extensive deliberation, resulting in approval of several major partnerships. Zenith Bank’s support for the Women’s Premier and Division I Leagues has been upgraded to a multi-year commercial arrangement, providing unprecedented stability. XE Jet has been confirmed as the official aviation and logistics partner of D’Tigress.
Adidas has finalised a multi-year apparel partnership covering both the men’s and women’s national teams. Strategic partnership discussions are advancing with NNPC Limited for grassroots and national programmes, and with TotalEnergies for domestic competitions.
The board also engaged Pamodzi Sports Consulting, an international sports consultancy firm, to support sponsorship acquisition, commercial packaging, and structured partnership development a professional approach that reflects the federation’s commitment to long-term institutional capacity.
The 2025 Financial Statement was tabled, reviewed, and approved. The 2026 Budget covering domestic league operations, grassroots programmes, national team programmes, international competitions, and governance and administration received full board approval. A comprehensive 2026 calendar was adopted, including the Men’s Premier League, D’Tigress’s World Cup Qualifiers in Lyon (March 11-17), D’Tigers’ FIBA World Cup Qualifier windows, U18 Boys and Girls FIBA Africa Championships, Commonwealth Games preparations, and youth development initiatives.
In ten days, D’Tigress will compete in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Lyon, France. They carry the hopes of a nation and the legacy of an unprecedented continental dynasty. Their preparations are underway. Their logistics are secured. Their federation is functioning.
The board has expressed profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his sustained support for basketball. These relationships built over years of consistent engagement are what enable Nigerian basketball to compete at the highest levels.
The board has also reaffirmed its commitment to raising officiating standards, strengthening competitive integrity across all divisions, and ensuring compliance with FIBA competition standards. It has committed to prudent financial management and alignment with the federation’s constitutional mandate. These are the priorities of a serious sporting organisation.
Engineer Kida has repeatedly stated that he is not seeking a third term and that elections will be held in accordance with the constitution upon expiration of the board’s tenure. The federation’s focus is on delivering results, not on responding to every press conference convened by individuals whose own four-year tenure as board members produced more complaints than contributions.
Nigerian basketball deserves leadership that governs, not grandstands and as the saying goes “Actions speak louder than press conferences”. Results matter more than petitions. And when FIBA renders its judgment, the facts will be clear: the NBBF under Engineer Ahmadu Musa Kida has not only survived unprecedented challenges it has delivered unprecedented success
(Liberty Adams)
