NAN-S-1
Basketball
By Babatunde Ogunrinde
June 6, 2017 (NAN) As part of his election manifesto, Musa Kida, a basketball enthusiast, has restated the need to unite the divided basketball house in Nigeria for effective coordination and development.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday, Kida said that the crisis which had troubled the sport in recent years had left so much undone and affected its development.
Kida, a front runner for the vacant presidential seat of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) election on June 16 in Abuja, said that stakeholders should unite for progress in the sport.
“Progress will remain elusive without all stakeholders being on the same page and contributing their quota.
“There is no way you can make progress in sports if it is not all-inclusive.
“Basketball by definition is a team game and some of us have played it, so we know what team work is all about,’’ he said.
Kida, the incumbent Chairman, Rivers State Basketball Association, assured that NBBF under his leadership would embrace division of labour with everybody playing their part according to their abilities.
“The president is just firstly equal to everybody because he does not have monopoly of knowledge and idea.
“This means that for the whole team to succeed, you have to get everybody on board to play their role effectively.
“Each of those contributing is also trusting that the other person is doing the best he can in his role so that the team can win,’’ he said.
Kida is also the Chairman of Ahmadu Musa Kida Foundation (AMK) which organises and sponsors over 20 different basketball events across the six FIBA zones in West Africa, including Nigeria.
He has over the years affirmed his belief in an all-inclusive style of administration as a key solution for robust funding and rapid sports development.
“In Nigeria, we have so many people with lofty ideas, while some have the connections to bring in moneybags and sponsors which will aid sustainable development.
“We will ensure that everybody and anybody who in one way or the other has something to contribute to Nigerian basketball is given a voice and an opportunity to show what he or she has to offer,’’ he said. (NAN)
BAO/IKU/PDE
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(Edited by Tayo Ikujuni/Peter Ejiofor)