NBBF appeals for funding from Presidency over uninspiring show at FIBA Pre-Olympics Qualifiers

Posted : 18 August 2023

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) on Thursday appealed to the presidency over trapped funds meant for the federation, a situation that may have been responsible for the lacklustre performances of the Male Basketball team of Nigeria D'Tigers at the FIBA Pre-Olympics Qualifiers.

Africa Sport Network (ASN) reports that D'Tigers of Nigeria failed to bite at the FIBA Pre-Olympics Qualifiers ongoing at the Eko Hotel Convention Ground bitting the ground twice against Senegal and Mali.

In a statement on Thursday, NBBF thanked Nigerians for their support, asking for more at the other engagements of the national team.

``The Nigeria Basketball Federation and the teeming basketball fans stakeholders in and outside the country commend the performance of the Women’s National team in the just concluded Afrobasket tournament in Kigali, Rwanda, where they emerged champions.

``The win has put them in pole position for the final qualification pool to the 2023 Paris Olympics.

``The NBBF board acknowledges our collective disappointment of Nigeria basketball fans and stakeholders over the non-qualification of the country's senior male national basketball team, to the final phase of the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and is full of regrets with sportsmanlike spirit.

``This is coming at the heels of the records-equalling feat of their female counterparts, D'Tigress.

``Our commitment is further strengthened to ensure we learn all we can from this in order to do better in the future.

``NBBF thanks the Federal Government for their support and encouragement to allow basketball grow in Nigeria and urge our President to approve and release all pending current financial requests before him for approval and other past liabilities that are pending, as these growing liabilities are inflicting excruciating pains on the Federation.

``Some of these long outstanding liabilities include the 2021 Afrobasket in Cameroun, where the D’Tigress emerged Champions, the Tokyo Olympic preparations and participation, and several others, and all these liabilities are getting to be a huge burden, and now hampering the ability of the NBBF to continue to provide the best of and maintain the huge successful strides made in the recent years.

``NBBF believes that with adequate preparations, and the full complement of its best players, the national teams will continue to do the country proud and perform better.

``It remains a fact that paucity or unavailability of funds has always militated against the even better desired results for basketball and sports generally.

``The NBBF hugely appreciates and thanks the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for the grand hosting of the D'Tigress, at the State House, Abuja, on the 7th August 2023, after winning the Afrobasket for a fourth consecutive time.

``The NBBF President Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida and the NBBF board, also thank the President and commander in chief of the armed forces of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in huge anticipation of his approval of all the federation’s financial requests before him, to enable the Federation fulfill its obligations of redeeming its liabilities.

NBBF appeals for funding from Presidency over uninspiring show at FIBA Pre-Olympics Qualifiers

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