President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida has charged Nigerians home and diaspora to utilize the powers of sports to further help develop the country’s socio-economic strengths by gainfully engaging and empowering the teeming youth in sporting activities.
This was contained in his New Year goodwill message released Saturday, January 1, 2022, in Lagos. According to Kida, Nigeria is immensely gifted in all ramifications, therefore, there should be concerted efforts by all Nigerians to improve the fortunes of the country, using sports as a tool.
Kida, who is seeking reelection for another four-year term as president of NBBF, recapped the outstanding feats achieved in basketball during his outgoing tenure. It included the records as the first African country to qualify both male and female national teams for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. And also becoming the first African nation to defeat basketball world powers, USA and Argentina in games leading to the Olympic games, as well as, winning three consecutive Afrobasketball championships by D’Tigress, amongst many other remarkable feats.
Kida, who until recently, was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Waters section of TotalEnergies, noted that the natural strength and resilience of the average Nigerian at all times, particularly, as these times of global socio-economic turbulence occasioned by Covid-19, should be commended.
He further admonished corporate and well-placed Nigerians to support the government in the efforts to gainfully engage the millions of talented but restive youths in sports.
He added that the last four years of his NBBF board and its impressive strides, and of course, the newly found enviable status of basketball in Nigeria have shown that Nigeria can achieve greatness in all aspects of human endeavors.
