The crises rocking the Nigeria Basketball Federation depended on Monday as two factional presidents emerged from two congresses held at two different venues Abuja and Edo State.
Mark Igoche, the founder of Mark Mentors basketball club of Abuja, emerged as the new President of NBBF in the Abuja congress.
This is as NBBF President, Musa Kida, was at the time of Igoche’s election in Abuja was also re-elected at a parallel congress in Benin, Edo State.
In the election held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Igoche who was unopposed polled 11 votes at the NBBF Elective Congress.
In the Abuja election supervised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Osita Nwachukwu was also elected Vice President of the NBBF.
Speaking after the elections, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Suleiman Muhammed, who is vice-chairman of the FCT Basketball Association, said he was pleased the exercise was free and fair.
“This is in line with the Sports Ministry’s directive and I am very happy to see that the elections were conducted in a very free and fair manner,” Muhammed said.
Igoche later told journalists that players’ welfare would be his major priority in order to give assurance on a more professional future for the game.
“It is the right time that we need to do things right. We are going to resist anything or any power from outside that will derail or stop basketball development in Nigeria.
“Players have been bearing the burden of what has been going on. Now they haven’t played for so long. Most of them are out of shape and looking for other things to do.
“I think it is high time we stopped toying with people’s destiny and taking these young boys and girls for granted because the effect of what is going on is that we are destroying lives,” he said.
