Basketball in Africa

by Olusegun Ikuesan

The commencement date of the 2005/2006 Nigeria Premier League, tagged ‘The Vmobile League’ suffers a little setback as the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF rose from a crucial board meeting last Thursday in Abuja to move the opening game forward by one week citing uneasy calm in some part of the country.
The media launch earlier billed to hold in Lagos on February 27 was also postponed to March 9 while the opening game of the much-awaited Vmobile Premier League will now hold on March 11.
According to the Chairman of the Media/Publicity sub-committee of the Nigeria basketball ruling body, Tijjani Umar that the postponement became necessary since players, officials and other stakeholders are expected to gather in a secured atmosphere, which the present situation in some part of the country could not afford.
Umar also averred that the much talked about league committee have been dropped for a league advisory committee to be headed by the league director, Muktar Khaleh otherwise known as ‘Malone’, the advisory committee according to Umar will consist of eight members, one each from the Atlantic and Savannah conference of the league, another member representing the NBBF aside the league director, a representative of the sponsor, a representative of the marketer and two conference coordinators.

The board also approved the sharing formula of 40% to clubs, 20% to the marketer, 20% for the administration of the league and the remaining 20% to the NBBF, which he described as the best the federation could offer the clubs at the moment, but pointed out that the federation will continue to do its best to carry the clubs along in all its activities as it concern the league in the country.

The sharing formula had once pitched the federation against club-owners mostly from the Atlantic conference with most of them threatening to withdraw from the premier league if the NBBF failed to improve on how much goes to the clubs.

Umar while bearing his mind on the position of the NBBF says the federation will not allow any individual or group of persons to hold the federation to ransom but said the NBBF will do as much as it can to provide a level playing ground for all stakeholders to air their views which will be taken into consideration by the basketball highest ruling body in Nigeria.