By Joe Apu, Benin
After months of horse-trading, Ahmadu Musa Kida was yesterday re-elected as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) at the federation’s Elective Congress in Benin, Edo State.
Announcing Kida’s reelection, chairman of the Congress, Dr. Lanre Glover, said Kida got all the 37 votes cast.
It was however not a coast free run for the position of the vice president as Babs Ogunade faced a former D’Tigers’ captain, Olumide Oyedeji. At the end, Ogunade, who served as the vice president in the last NBBF board retained his position with 30 votes to 6 for Oyedeji.
Oyedeji nonetheless got into the board of the NBBF as the South West zone representative. Ogunade had earlier steppedNBBF P down for him for that position. Ogunade was both the South West zone representative and vice president in the last board.
Other elected board members are Ugo Udezue as South-East representative; Alhaji ABBA Kaka- North East; Adamu Desi Jalong – North Central representative, Yusuf Suraju – North West representative and Alhaji Musa Yakasia of NASPER SD.
Ahmed El-lharari, FIBA observer to the Elective Congress, said he is happy to witness a free and fair proceeding in Nigeria, noting that the country has represented Africa well.
The Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu, who declared the Congress open was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Sports, Mrs. Sabina Chikere.
The new NBBF has additional vibrant young and enterprising men in the fold with the Chief Executive Officer of AFA Sports, Ugo Udezue voted in.
The former D’Tigers power forward is the chairman of the Anambra State Basketball Association and the representative of the South East zone. AFA Sports was Nigeria’s official uniform partner to the Tokyo Olympics last year.