The Students Sports Federation of Nigeria (SSFON) and the Amalgamation of Regional Youth Organisations of Nigeria (ARYON) have called for the repositioning of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), urging delegates to elect leaders with fresh ideas, vision and the capacity to drive sustainable development of the sport.
The groups made the call in a joint statement signed by the President-General of ARYON, Comrade Ibrahim A. Abdullahi, and the National President of SSFON, Comrade Anthony Danjuma W.
They urged delegates ahead of the October 15 NBBF election to focus on the future of Nigerian basketball rather than personalities, entrenched interests or claims based solely on longevity within the federation.
According to them, the NBBF is a public institution whose leadership should be guided by vision, competence, integrity, innovation and a commitment to building a sustainable basketball ecosystem.
The organisations acknowledged the value of experience but stressed that it should be used to promote progress rather than perpetuate stagnation.
“The fundamental question before the delegates is clear: What does each aspirant intend to build, how will that vision be executed, and who possesses the genuine capacity to unite the basketball community?” they said.
The groups also criticised attempts to portray younger aspirants with progressive ideas as “outsiders”, arguing that generational renewal was essential to keeping the federation relevant and responsive to the needs of the sport.
They identified structured administration, institutional stability, grassroots development, sustainable domestic leagues, modern facilities, improved athlete welfare, private-sector investment and clear pathways from school sports to elite international competition as key priorities.
They said meaningful transformation could not be achieved through what they described as “perpetual friction, destabilisation, or recycled administrative models” that had failed to deliver sustained growth.
The organisations also urged delegates to consider the practical records of candidates, including those who had invested in basketball infrastructure in states such as Kano and Kogi.
They maintained that verifiable records of investment, development and commitment should be among the criteria for selecting the next NBBF president.
The groups further called on delegates to make the election a contest of ideas, manifestos, policy frameworks, administrative records, leadership capacity and strategic vision.
They also rejected the suggestion that professional or economic engagements should disqualify an aspirant from seeking to lead the federation.
Citing Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who serves as president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, and Commodore Shettima Mohammed Shagir, who heads the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation while serving in the military, they argued that public service and sports administration could coexist.
The groups noted that the amended NBBF Constitution requires presidential aspirants to have a verifiable source of livelihood, urging delegates and relevant authorities to apply the provision consistently.
They also cautioned against equating playing experience with administrative competence, stressing that modern sports administration requires strategic vision, organisational governance and corporate management skills.
“Modern sports history demonstrates that many of the world’s most successful sports administrators were not high-level athletes, but rather leaders who excelled through strategic vision, organisational governance, and corporate management,” they said.
The organisations urged delegates to scrutinise the manifestos and records of all aspirants before electing the candidate with the most credible roadmap for Nigerian basketball.
They said the October 15 election should provide an opportunity to restore public confidence, unite stakeholders, attract private investment and establish sustainable structures for the development of the game.
“The choice before the basketball community is not about who has stayed the longest, but about who can take the game the furthest,” the groups said.