• Ike Diogu, 14 other D’Tigers players withdraw from national team
• Say until Kida resigns
Ike Diogu, 14 Other D’Tigers Players Withdraw From Playing For National Team Until Kida Resigns
The crisis rocking the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, has taken a new dimension as virtually all the male foreign based players jointly signed a petition to the secretariat of the Federation that they have withdrawn from participating in any future national team competitions.
The players in the letter, expressed their displeasure with the Minister of Youth and Sports Development and the Ministry with Musa Kida still being secret romanced as the president of the NBBF.
The players raised the ineptitude exhibited by Kida that has led to declining their morale and commitment to play for Nigeria.
The letter of March, 2022 in part reads, “We, current and former D’Tigers players would like to take this time to express our extreme dissatisfaction with the incumbent NBBF delegation led by Mr Musa Kida. While it has brought us much joy and pride to represent Nigeria during international competition, it has come to a point where we can no longer, in good conscience, support a federation that does not align with our long term goals and beliefs. Moreover, the ineptitude exhibited by the NBBF over past years has undoubtedly contributed to a decline in morale and sports performance for both the men’s and women’s national teams.
In light of the mismanagement issues experienced during the Tokyo Olympics, during the Afrobasket Qualifiers and within the domestic league, please consider this signed petition our official declaration that we will not participate in any future national team competitions until resignation of Musa Kida as the president of NBBF has been effected. We thank Mr Kida and his staff for their services, and we look forward to reclaiming our position as the pre-eminent African basketball nation under new NBBF adminstration”.
Among the players that signed the letter are: Ike Diogu, Chamberlain Oguchi, Ayodeji Akindele, Ekpe Udoh, Gani Lawal and Benjamin Uzon.
Others are, Chimezie Metu, Alade Aminu, Michael Umeh, Ekene Ubekwe, Stanley Okoye, Al-Farouq Aminu, Josh Akognon, Ike Nwanu, and Andy Ogide.
