NBBF: What comes after the ban?

The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Ministry of Sports announced a 2-year ban on the basketball federation from international tournaments.

This information took the nation at large by storm, but to those in the basketball world, we may have predicted its occurrence. We can all agree that the timing is well off given the fact that the nation's success on the international stage continues to be of distinction, one that's worth envy and has become the standard other nations on the continent aim to achieve.

5x Afrobasket winners, D'Tigress celebrating their qualification to the FIBA women's world cup 2022

So far, the unstable state of the basketball federation seems to be the reason the Federal government took this stand and although we’ve got various reports, it is still unclear how the decision settles the dilemma in the broken system.

There are a few ways this can play out but first, a little backstory.

The crisis in the Nigerian basketball federation dates back to 2017 after the presidential elections were held and unlike most elections, two winners emerged. A budding system that had just signed a partnership deal worth millions of dollars with Kwese sports was nipped. Months passed, court cases ensued and a few constitutions later, no sign of change until FIBA stepped in. You’d hope the World governing body for basketball would either put things right or set it on the path of being right but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. With no definite statement from FIBA to put an end to the circus, the issue continues to linger. In January 2022, stakeholders & fans hoped the elections this time will serve as a fresh start but like déjà vu, it's 2017 again.

Nigeria’s self-imposed ban will have a ripple effect for years to come. Missing out on International tournaments like the Women’s World cup scheduled for the 22nd of September 2022 will definitely trigger a reaction from FIBA. This is clearly stated in the FIBA Statutes under Article 9: Obligation of members. Not to mention the interference of a third party which in this case is the Nigerian Government

https://www.fiba.basketball/documents/fiba-general-statutes.pdf

There’s been no communication in regards to plans set in motion to restructure the national league that produces a representative for the Basketball Africa League. The development of the game in the country could be at the forefront of affairs during this period but given the track record, it’s very unlikely.

It’s certain that this ban puts the sports industry in a ditch. The standard of operations drops, prospective partnerships are lost and the overall development of the sector comes to a halt.

The question, “Why now?” might not be answered but “How does the nation grow from this?” has to be.