A National Basketball Coach, Adewunmi Aderemi, has showered praises on the Federal Government for stamping out maladministration bedeviling the progress of basketball development in Nigeria.
It will be on record that this is the first time we have a minister who dared the odds and decided that Nigeria should take a break for two years from international sports.
The decision was announced on Thursday and opinions have been divided about the effects but Aderemi, a major stakeholder who was in the technical crew of the national women team that qualified for the World Cup only in February in Serbia, said it was good to take a break and sort the five year problem rocking basketball in Nigeria.
Aderemi said: “Some right thinking Nigerians will applaud this move while the myopic, self-centred group of people, feeding fat from the crisis will try to use their friends in the media to blackmail you.
“They did same when the Government of Presidents Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan did same on Football years back that made both leaders rescind their decisions.
“For me, the FG has taken a courageous step and posterity will be there to for the current minister, Sunday Dare. Enough of this ridicule year in, year out before the international community. Besides, this action by Mr. President will serve as a warning signal to other problematic Sports Federations.
“Time to examine where we are with basketball, what to do in the holidaying two years from international competitions after putting our house in order. The minister and FG are on the right track. Charity they say begins at home. Our players back home need to get busy while some are rotting away yet to be tapped from the grassroots.”
It will be recalled that the FG on Thursday last week withdrew from international basketball following the five-year leadership impasse that has bedeviled the sport in the country.
