Japanese Embassy denies NBBF officials visas

The Japanese Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria disrupted Nigeria’s fragile preparations for the FIBA World Championship that started today further on Friday when it refused to issue visas to five top officials of the Sports Ministry and the Nigeria Basketball Federation.

On the list of those rejected were the NBBF Secretary-General, Segun Akinlotan; the first Vice President of the NBBF, Dr. Segun Erinle, the Techincal Director of the NBBF, Dr. Adamu Ahmed, and the Deputy Director of Sports Development in the ministry, Yahaya Ahmed.

Only the NBBF President, Jacob Gyang Buba, was granted a visa because of his diplomatic passport.

All the officials were scheduled to travel on Friday, but they have been forced to re-think the trip over the attitude of the embassy.

According to Segun Ojo, the protocol officer of the ministry, "the tickets cost Nigeria N2.5m to purchase and “we will now be forced to lose money whatever happens now.”

Ojo described the stance of the embassy as “difficult and is meant to frustrate Nigeria’s effort in the competition.”

“I went there with a note verbal from the External Affairs Ministry and they still turned us down,” Ojo said.

Akinlotan said the Tigers would be rudderless in Japan since “there is no Nigerian official to take care of the team from Nigeria.”

Buba and Akinlotan are scheduled to attend the FIBA Congress starting on August 28 in Tokyo and it takes three days to reach Japan from Nigeria.

Nigerian journalists and supporters have been facing the same ordeal at the embassy; as at Friday, only four journalists have got the visas, while 15 supporters – out of 32 – have been promised visas.

The Punch Newspapers