By Ado Salisu
Fresh controversy has erupted within the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), with members of the federation’s board dismissing reports that they have resigned while accusing the leadership of attempting to prolong its stay in office.
The development comes less than seven weeks before the expiration of the current NBBF board’s tenure, with critics questioning why the process for conducting a fresh elective congress has yet to be initiated in line with the timeline expected by the international basketball governing body, FIBA.
Speaking in Abuja, the North Central Representative on the NBBF Board, Adamu Deshi, denied reports that some board members had resigned, insisting that no such resignations had taken place.
Deshi claimed that FIBA had extended the NBBF board’s tenure until October 16, 2026, and that the extension covered all members of the existing board.
He further alleged that the reports of resignations were part of an attempt by the outgoing NBBF President, Engineer Musa Kida, to avoid accountability over his administration before the full board and the NBBF Congress.
According to Deshi, Kida recently held meetings with five board members regarded as loyal to him, while allegedly excluding the other eight members who had raised concerns about the administration of the federation.
He accused the NBBF leadership of violating provisions of the federation’s constitution, including allegedly failing to convene a congress for about four years, operating without adequate financial accountability, and unilaterally suspending officials or removing elected board members.
Among those allegedly removed, he said, were the Technical Representative, Scott Nnaji, and Players’ Representative, Stanley Gumut.
Deshi maintained that such actions could not be carried out unilaterally by the NBBF president, citing Article 21.11 (1)(a-e) of the NBBF Constitution, which provides grounds and procedures for the removal of board members.
He argued that a resignation must be expressly submitted in writing, while other grounds for removal include conviction for a criminal offence, with such matters subject to approval by Congress.
“Musa Kida is not the Congress of the NBBF,” Deshi said, insisting that the president therefore had no authority to exclude duly elected board members from federation activities.
He also rejected any suggestion that the sidelined members had failed to attend three consecutive board meetings, another provision contained in the federation’s constitution.
According to him, the affected members had not received formal invitations to attend NBBF board meetings and therefore could not be accused of deliberately refusing to attend.
The dispute has now reached the National Sports Commission (NSC), with Deshi revealing 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 the NBBF president and five board members.
The NSC, however, is yet to make a public pronouncement on the complaint, the proposed NBBF elective congress or the separate allegations of financial mismanagement levelled against the federation’s leadership.
With the current board’s tenure reportedly running until October 16, 2026, concerns are mounting over the absence of a clearly announced electoral timetable as the deadline approaches.
Deshi has therefore called on stakeholders to disregard reports suggesting that board members have resigned, insisting that the alleged resignations did not occur.
The latest development deepens the leadership crisis within Nigerian basketball and places renewed focus on the need for the NBBF to clarify its electoral roadmap, constitutional compliance and financial accountability before the expiration of the current board’s tenure.
