Kida can't run NBBF as ‘Private Property’ – Deshi

Kida can't run NBBF as ‘Private Property’ – Deshi

A fresh controversy is brewing within the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) ahead of its forthcoming elections, with federation member and highly rated FIBA match commissioner Adamu Deshi challenging the leadership of outgoing President Engineer Musa Kida over the conduct of the federation’s affairs.

Deshi, a forensic auditor and accountant, issued the challenge in a strongly worded rejoinder to a recent publication titled “Setting the Records Straight: NBBF Clears the Air on Tenure Elongation.”

In his response, Deshi disputed the publication’s explanation of the absence of several NBBF board members, questioning whether they had actually resigned or had been accused of boycotting federation activities.

He demanded evidence of invitations allegedly sent to the affected board members, insisting that the NBBF leadership should produce correspondence showing that members were invited to meetings and deliberately refused to attend.

Deshi also questioned the circumstances surrounding the removal of elected representatives Scott Nnaji, the Technical Representative, and Stanley Gumut, the Player Representative, from the board.

According to him, such removals could not be undertaken unilaterally without following the provisions of the NBBF constitution.

The forensic auditor further challenged the claim that a financial report was presented and adopted by members of the board, arguing that only five of the 14 board members were present at the meeting in question and therefore could not constitute a quorum.

Deshi said the development raised broader questions about accountability and transparency within the federation.

Among the issues he wants addressed are why the NBBF board allegedly does not hold its constitutionally required quarterly meetings, why federation funds are allegedly received through private accounts rather than an official NBBF account, and the amount of money received from sponsors and donors.

He also demanded disclosure of the value of existing NBBF sponsorship agreements.

A major part of Deshi’s intervention centres on the tenure of the current NBBF board and the process leading to the next elective congress.

He recalled that a stakeholders’ meeting with the Director-General of the National Sports Commission Honourable Bukola Olopade on the 9th of January 2026 agreed that the board’s tenure, which had ended on January 31, would be extended to March 31.

However, Deshi said a subsequent FIBA communication dated March 16 directed that the existing leadership should continue until October 16, 2026, when it should hand over.

While acknowledging that Kida remains the recognised NBBF president until that date, Deshi argued that the FIBA directive did not give the president powers to operate outside the NBBF constitution or remove board members at will.

He warned that any stay in office beyond October 16 would constitute tenure elongation.

Deshi also raised concerns over the failure, in his view, to commence the mandatory processes leading to an elective congress.

He argued that board meetings and congress proceedings required by the NBBF constitution must take place before the election and should be preceded by the appropriate notices to stakeholders.

“Why has the ball not been set rolling but clandestine meetings are ongoing?” Deshi asked, while contrasting the current situation with the urgency he said the leadership displayed during the 2021 election cycle.

Deshi maintained that the federation belongs to its stakeholders and cannot be operated as the personal property of its president.

He accused Kida of creating circumstances that have generated the current controversy and urged the federation’s leadership to address the questions surrounding its administration as the election process proceeds.

“The NBBF Board, like all other National Federation Boards, is not a private property and cannot be run as such,” Deshi stated.

His intervention adds another layer to the growing debate over governance, accountability, board composition and the timing of the next NBBF elective congress, with the October 16, 2026 handover date now central to the dispute.