Olympic Games miss, Buba begged Nigerian

Nigeria Basketball Federation President, Jacob Gyang Buba has admitted it is sad the country will not be at the basketball event of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, but says it is the reality of life caused by the NBBF's inability to muster required funds.

Gyang noted in an interview recently that the federation could not prepare the teams for the African championships in Angola and Senegal last year for the men and women respectively, which were qualifiers for the Beijing 2008 basketball event of the Olympic Games in August.

"I have to make it straight and plain for all Nigerians to understand. We in the basketball federation are not happy that our male and female teams could both not get to the basketball event of the Olympics.

We have to apologise over this, and I am saying so on behalf of other members of the board. It's one of the big realities of life. Nothing can work or go well without the necessary funds to make it work," he philosophized.

The Nigeria basketball ruling body boss and Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, however, promised that the issue of funds for the NBBF's programmes, especially international engagements, will soon be a thing of the past, with a revelation that the officials are now talking to the private sector for partnership and sponsorship