24th April, 2013
Stakeholders of Nigerian basketball were full of joy when Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, and DStv, sponsor of the men’s league announced a new four-year deal for the league.
The new deal is worth about N230 million ($1.45 million) for the duration of 2013 till 2017, a substantial increase on the N150 million ($1 million) that was paid for the previous deal signed between 2008 to 2012.
Apart from the signing of the enhanced sponsorship package, the other reason for celebration was the pronouncement by the General Manager of DStv, Moyo Okunnola that the long awaited 2012/2013 league season would dunk off on 26 April, at both the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences, after several postponements.
As part of the events to usher in the new season, a ceremonial match between Union Bank and Comets, both of Lagos State, was played at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere.
A dramatic event happened on the day of the ceremonial opening match. Players in the league, under the umbrella, Basketball Players Association of Nigeria, BAPAN, threatened to boycott the new season if the NBBF do not increase the 40 percent sponsorship package allocated to clubs from the sponsorship money.
The NBBF President, Tijani Umar, had said that the 16 clubs in the league would share 40 per cent of the new package, while the remaining 60 percent would go to the running of the league.
The players who spoke through their Coordinator, Seun Akinwale, captain of Islanders Club of Lagos questioned the rationale behind the decision of the NBBF to allocate to itself a lion share of the sponsorship package and decided to give the clubs that are the main stakeholder a paltry 40 percent.
According to Akinwale, the clubs shoulder more responsibilities than the NBBF, hence they should get more from the sponsorship deal.
“DSTV have done well by renewing the sponsorship of the league with an enhance package for another four years. We commend this gesture and are delighted with this development.
“The NBBF has to consider the plight of the players and the clubs and rescind the decision to give 40 percent of the $1.45 million to the clubs.
“As it is now, only a meager N1.2 million would a club get per year in the current deal. This cannot sustain the clubs that will pay players’ salaries and other expenses. Clubs may go bankrupt if this is allowed to go without check.
“ In order not to allow such occurrence, we are calling on the basketball authority to look into this and review the allocation in favour of the clubs. We have resolved however that failure to do this might result into BAPAN calling its members to stay out of the new league season,” Akinwale said.
It was gathered that the BAPAN has been mobilising players in the two conferences for the showdown with the league body. While commenting on the way out of the present imbroglio, Akinwale urged the NBBF to acknowledge BAPAN and also for them to have a representative on the NBBF’s board so that they would have the opportunity to contribute their quota to the development of the sport in Nigeria.
“BAPAN have been in existence for the past 15 years and we have no say in whatever happens in the league, neither do NBBF considers what the players will benefit during or after his playing career.
“At present, an average player in the DSTV league gets no more than N20, 000 per month. We need to be part of the NBBF board meetings so that we can express our concerns,” Akinwale declared.
In his reaction to the agitations of the players’ union, the Technical Adviser of Dodan Warriors of Lagos, Adeka Daudu said: “The player have the right to make their concerns known to the NBBF because they are the main actors of the league”.
The former head coach of Warriors however, advised the players to ensure that they go through the proper channel if they want to make their grieviances known to the federation.
He said: “I am not aware of any protest by the players’ union but personally, I think they have the right to make their grouses known to the federation if they feel they are not properly treated. I will only advise them to do so properly.”
On the 40 percent which the NBBF plans to give to the clubs, he said: “This is too small. What are they (NBBF) going to do with the 60 percent they are planning to take afterall it is the clubs that pay for players’ allowances, diesel to run the Indoor Sports Hall at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. The clubs pay for technical officials and also pay for security at match venues.
“Now that they are planning to increase the number of games for this season, we will have to pay more for travelling for matches across the country. I think the NBBF should have a rethink on this”
Over the years, there have been claims of lack of transparency in the way basketball is being managed. There is no doubt that such allegations is creating bad image for the sport and this may have a multiplier effect of driving away many corporate organisations from sponsoring the league for a long time.
Effort to get officials of the NBBF to speak on the planned action of the players proved abortive as several calls make to the Secretary of the federation, Francis Gbiri were not picked and an e-mail sent to the president, Umar was not replied.
With less than 72 hours before the new league season dunks off across the country, there is the need for the NBBF, BAPAN and other stakeholders to come together and settle their differences before it degenerates into what happened recently in the USA when players protested and shutdown half of the NBA season.
A situation that would do no good to the sport in the country and also paint the sponsors of the league in bad image.
—Bamidele Olowosagba