Joe APU
The Federation of International Basketball Association, FIBA will today deliver judgment on the electoral crisis that has bedeviled the Nigeria Basketball Federation during its first meeting of 2018.
FIBA will be relying on the report of the 3-man fact finding team that comprised of Executive Director, Africa, Alphonse Bile; Special Advisor to Secretary-General, Mr. Lubomir Kotleba and Competition Commission member Fode Amara Conde
The fact finding team who were in Nigeria had met with the government of Nigeria represented by the sports minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung, former NBBF president Tijani Umar, NBBF president Musa Kida and the Nigeria Olympic Committee represented by the secretary general Babatunde Popoola.
FIBA Executive Director, Africa, Alphonso Bile told journalists in Lagos at the conclusion of its meeting with the Nigeria Olympic Committee that he is glad that they visited and spoke with all the parties involved.
“I want to plead that Nigerians should be patient and await the decision of FIBA at the next central board meeting on March 10, 2017. I assure that FIBA would take a decision in the best interest of all the parties involved in the dispute. However, I am of the opinion that Nigeria has the potentials to compete favourably at the top level if they cooperate.
“Our job is to meet all the parties involved in the crisis and send all the facts we gathered to the FIBA Central Board that will then take a decision on the matter in March.”
The Central Board of FIBA is the top level executive branch, whose role is to supervise the practice of basketball worldwide.
It is composed of the President of FIBA, the FIBA Secretary General and the Treasurer of FIBA, the President of each Zone, 13 members elected by the Congress, according to a continent-based quota system (Africa= 2, Americas= 3, Asia= 2, Europe= 4, Oceania= 2), one representative of the NBA and one player representative.
The Central Board may also co-opt up to six additional members to the Central Board (with full voting rights) for the vision, skill and special expertise that they will bring to the Central Board.
The Central Board appoints the Secretary General, the Executive Committee as well as the eight permanent FIBA Commissions that examine and advise on specific aspects of the sport.
The term of office of the Central Board is four years, beginning after the last day of each elective Congress.
The Central Board reports to the FIBA Congress. It holds two ordinary meetings each year in the year of the Ordinary Congress and one meeting in other calendar years. If deemed necessary, the FIBA President and Secretary General may also call extraordinary meetings.