Nigeria’s basketball leadership needs renewal rather than continued conflict, youth and student sports leaders said ahead of the Nigeria Basketball Federation presidential election scheduled for October 15, 2026.
Comrade Ibrahim A. Abdullahi, President-General of the Amalgamation of Regional Youth Organizations of Nigeria, and Comrade Anthony Danjuma W., National President of the Students Sports Federation of Nigeria, made the call at a joint press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
Quick facts
- The NBBF presidential vote is set for October 15, 2026.
- ARYON and SSFON want leadership defined by vision, integrity, capability and innovation.
- The groups called for stronger grassroots systems, sustainable leagues, improved facilities and athlete welfare.
- They said an EFCC invitation involving a young contender was wrongly portrayed as an arrest.
Abdullahi and Danjuma said the federation must be led by people able to create a lasting sporting structure. They stressed that the NBBF presidency is a public responsibility, not an individual’s birthright or a role to be held indefinitely.
Time spent within the federation should not automatically secure continued control, they argued. Experience remains important, they said, but only when it helps drive advancement instead of preserving stagnation.
Delegates were urged to judge contenders by what they intend to build, how they would deliver their programmes and whether they can bring the basketball community together.
The organisations criticised efforts to portray younger candidates with progressive proposals as outsiders merely because they offer a different generation’s outlook and more current management methods.
“Generational change is not a danger; it is essential,” they said. “Any organisation that wants to remain relevant must deliberately open space for fresh energy, contemporary ideas and visionary leaders.”
They said Nigerian basketball needs an urgent, wide-ranging overhaul, including organised administration, stable institutions, effective grassroots programmes and viable domestic competitions.
Modern facilities, better protection for athletes, private-sector funding and defined routes taking young players from school competitions to elite international levels were also identified as priorities.
“That recovery cannot be achieved amid endless disputes, destabilisation and recycled models of administration that have repeatedly failed to produce real progress,” the groups said.
They added that the sport needs contemporary approaches and administrators capable of bringing the country’s basketball system into line with international standards.
Abdullahi and Danjuma also acknowledged aspirants who have shown practical commitment through confirmed infrastructure developments for basketball in states including Kano and Kogi.
Such projects, they said, provide evidence of ability and commitment, and candidates with proven records of that kind should be seriously assessed. Their stance, they added, is that the game requires ambitious ideas and a durable future.
The two organisations voiced concern about what they called an increasing wave of character attacks and smear efforts directed at younger aspirants.
They specifically referred to claims from groups they described as sponsored that a prominent young candidate had been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged corruption.
Following their own inquiries, they said no arrest had occurred. The candidate, they said, voluntarily responded to an EFCC invitation, offered explanations and was allowed to leave freely.
“There are no outstanding corruption charges, indictments or official EFCC declarations that establish wrongdoing,” they said, adding that they had formally written to the commission over the issue.
They warned that an administrative invitation should not be deliberately misrepresented as an arrest, while unverified accusations must not be treated as proven.
“Anyone funding or spreading defamatory claims should understand that their actions may carry legal consequences,” they said.
The NBBF election, they added, should be decided by policies, leadership qualities and demonstrable achievements, rather than an aspirant’s professional occupation or long-standing position in the system.
“Years of administrative service should count as a qualification, not be used to shut others out,” they said. “A 25-year spell associated with stagnation highlights why a fresh direction and new administrative leadership are needed.”
Candidates were encouraged to reject propaganda, invented disputes and personal attacks. Delegates, meanwhile, were asked to closely examine manifestos, policy proposals, management records and plans for resolving the structural problems affecting the sport.
The organisations also said people with legitimate businesses, professions or public-service roles should not be barred from pursuing leadership posts in Nigerian sport.
“Candidates are seeking to serve, not to earn a living from the game,” they said.
They pointed to Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service and President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, and Commodore Shettima Mohammed Shagir, a serving military officer who is President of the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation.
Those examples, they said, show that public duties can operate alongside sports administration when leaders provide disciplined execution and strategic direction.
The key measure, they maintained, is whether a candidate can achieve results, respect corporate governance and move the sport forward.
They further noted that the amended NBBF Constitution explicitly states that anyone seeking the presidency must have a verifiable means of livelihood.
“That constitutional requirement must be observed and applied consistently, without exceptions,” they said.
Abdullahi and Danjuma also cautioned against confusing playing pedigree with administrative ability. A playing career may be worthy of respect, they said, but it is not the same as managing sport.
Modern sports governance demands strategic thinking, sound organisational structures and corporate management skills, they added. Many effective sports administrators, they noted, were never elite athletes.
The pair called on NBBF delegates to put the interests of basketball above individual personalities.
They said every manifesto should be tested, every record examined and every vision assessed, so that the election delivers the candidate with the clearest and most credible strategic plan for Nigerian basketball.
“Nigerian basketball needs a new chapter,” they said. “It needs leaders who can rebuild public trust, unite stakeholders, bring in private investment, nurture talent and create systems that last beyond any individual tenure.”
They said the October 15 vote must represent a decisive move towards institutional reform and purposeful growth, with delegates carrying responsibility for the game’s future path.
“The question for the basketball community is not who has been around the longest, but who can take the game the furthest,” they said. “It is not about protecting entrenched interests, but securing the sport’s future.”
They concluded: “Let ability defeat entitlement, vision overcome propaganda and selfless service triumph over personal ambition. Nigerian basketball cannot stay in perpetual contestation; this is the moment to build, unite, develop and win.”
