The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), a body established among other things to oversee and promote national and elite basketball in the Country ridicules itself yet again.
Let’s just cut to the chase.
A few months ago, 6 months precisely, an elite basketball player Nkem Akaraiwe, got injured on national duty; under the watch of the Ministry of Sports.
She was delayed from having surgery because the Ministry was too broke to pay for it and as a result she missed the entire basketball season.
Six months later the NBBF writes in part:
Nkem who was a member of the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup team that got to the quarter finals tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament while on national duty earlier this year at the Beach Games in Cape Verde and had found it difficult raising funds for the needed surgery.
Firstly, to suggest that a player – elite or amateur – becomes responsible for seeking treatment funds after sustaining an injury on national duty is pathetic and clearly indicative of an irresponsible governing organization.
The NBBF failed as did the Ministry, to do due diligence and for months caused untold psychological and economical difficulties to the injured player.
While the office of the Minister and NBBF itself have scored for themselves photo session credits with the physical cash handed to the player, this misinformation spreads itself.
No Athlete should be feed the ridiculousness which the NBBF attempted in the official statement published to “appreciate” the Minister’s “intervention”.
On the contrary, the Ministry did it’s job as should have been months earlier; the impression created now is false and misleading.
The NBBF can’t afford to slide further down the cold, dark and murky tunnel where it has left domestic basketball by portraying an MVP as a mere Beggar.
This can hardly serve as motivation for any Athlete, otherwise the NBBF is truly disconnected from its local constituent.
This article is the opinion of the Writer and not of www.brila.net.
The post It Looks Right, but Something’s Terribly Wrong In the NBBF appeared first onCornerstone News Nigeria.
