The Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, waved an official paper that a later explanation from his office would magically end the age-long problems in Nigerian basketball. 

In the ensuing chaos, some members of the women’s team who, through sweat, blood and owed allowances, qualified for the women’s basketball world cup dropped their heads across various social media.

Three days after the dust has settled, and no saviour in sight except for breaking news on a new grassroots basketball competition, coming in June for a sport never lacking In grassroots basketball programs.

Nigerian basketball, which hitherto was on autopilot, came to a halt with its dying embers of a team sport that brought so much joy in the last two years.

Two years earlier, Sunday Dare was grinning from ear to ear after successfully convincing the federal executive council to designate sports as a business.

Now he is sending sports back to the dark ages with a fiat typical of a carpenter who sees every problem as a nail.

Ranked 14th in the world, The D’Tigress has an outside chance of reaching good heights at the FIBA Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria Basketball Ban Background

The year is 2017, and another sports minister, Solomon Dalung, has just endorsed an election for a faction without the presence of media and stakeholders.

What happened is a tale of power-mongering, relegating basketball players to the background while the administrators are centre stage.

The Cost Of Minister Dare’s Ban

On average, the ban will cost Nigeria an additional two to three years if we are being honest. The qualification system will make it so even if the country gets a pardon from FIBA. 

To qualify for the Olympics, they will attend the World Cup and rank at least as the best African team, which was how we reached the last Olympics in Tokyo 2020. 

The World Cup qualifiers are in the second phase, and if we miss it, we will be out till 2026, as we will not go to the World Cup and Olympics in Paris in 2024. 

Similarly, the same thing applies to the women’s team. 

All the reasons and fines because Nigeria disrupted the plans for the World Cup for women, and the qualifying process for men. The cost is too much.

Summary

• Nigeria will be out till 2026 
• African World Cup qualifiers phase two
• The 2023 World Cup serves as qualifiers for the Olympics.
• The World Cup and Olympics serve as qualifiers for Afrobasket. It means we will be out till 2026.
• Nigeria will get a fine for disruption. 
• The women won’t make the 2024 Olympics.

If the Nigeria basketball ban stays for two weeks, the men will be out til 2026

Nigerian Basketball grassroots is thriving and doesn’t lack competition. Camps after camp, competitions around, and youngsters are going abroad in numbers. We didn’t have the MYSD before NBA Africa opened shop here. All the grassroots initiatives are happening without even the NBBF.

Final Analysis

In the final analysis, the MYS&D need to see the foley of their knee-jerk, spur-of-the-moment Nigeria basketball ban.

Stylishly turning back with a terrible PR that seeks to push the blame on the administrators won’t cut it. 

The minister says he wants to see if the administrators love the sport and Nigeria to walk away in an interview with NTA. However, for a sport with a constitution it’s strange to see the government make such a decision. 

It’s a coup because that action suspended the constitution of NBBF just like the military will do. 

Six days after the decision, no pathways or an IMC is in sight. It tells you all you need to know about the short-sightedness of the decision and their plans to unseat the FIBA-recognized leadership. 

Meanwhile, it’s the second time the sports minister has made a mess of a decision after he dissolved all federations, including federations with a constitution that clearly defines how they will transition to a new administration. 

He again staged a coup to wield a power he shouldn’t have in the first instance. How did SAD move from a man seeking to change the state of sports in Nigeria from leisure to business to making decisions that take Nigerian sports back to the dark ages of crisis where chaos merchants thrive?