House Committee On Sports Summons Kida Over D'Tigress

House Committee On Sports Summons Kida Over D'Tigress By Niyi Busari The House Committee on Sports has summoned the former NBBF President, Engineer Musa Kida to appear before it within two weeks. This follows the protest of D'Tigress in a short video where they claimed that they have not been paid their bonuses and allowance since 2018. They accused the former Nigeria Basketball Federation president, Kida of not paying what is due to the team. D'Tigress have demanded that the Federation is owing each player the sum of $73,115 and a total of $212,115 which include money expected from Federal Government. D'Tigress among others demanded for set bonus for very Competition, bus for the team, training arena, invitation to Aso Rock, as well as being celebrated. The money owed according to them is just one item of on the list of their demand. Kida on his part has insisted that D'Tigress were not owed adding that all their bonuses and allowance have been paid. He said he only owed each player $500 he promised as gift for their performance at the 2018 FIBA World Cup. The House Committee led by its Chairman, Hon. Olumide Osoba then asked Kida to appear before it to answer questions on the allegations D'Tigress raised during the protest. D'Tigress won the FIBA Afrobasket for three consecutive times winning the third title in Cameroon in September, 2021. Meanwhile, the House Committee on Sports has said it is satisfied with the explanation of the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare on the allegations of doping of the Nigeria athletes in Tokyo. It was a meeting that provided the Minister with an opportunity to also shed more light on allowances of the women's basketball team, D'Tigress, payments made to the NBBF and the doping allegations against some Team Nigeria athletes to the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. In his report about the doping allegations, The Minister corrected an erroneous impression that many had by clearing the notion that the athletes were not guilty of doping or taking any form of illegal, performance enhancing substance. "The Athletes were required to take three out of competition tests at 3 weeks intervals which of course they did but took it a week earlier, and that was why they were not allowed to participate in the Olympics. It should also be noted that, these ten athletes were not banned from participating in the Olympics but were ineligible to compete due to their missing the mandatory out-of-competition tests at the appropriate times," Dare said. On the allowances of D'Tigress, it was through the adopt-an-athlete initiative of the Minister that the sum of Two Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars ($230,000) was raised from a group of Banks for the D'Tigress and D'Tigers. This money came in during the Olympics and was deposited into the NBBF's CBN account. According to the Minister, "we issued a statement regarding the $230,000 and on return from Olympics the players of both teams were asked to submit their account details so the CBN could process the payment at once, as we speak, we have only details of the female team; D'Tigress and none of D'Tigers obliged to this. "Prior to now, the CBN have been instructed to process payment of the 12 female team members as first trench payment. "The Process for the payment for D'Tigress is in place and near completion, the money is intact in the CBN account as CBN has provided statement of account to prove that the $230,000 NBBF fund was not misappropriated." According to one of the Honourable members of the Committee, Honourable Dachung Musa, representing Jos South/ Jos East Federal consistency, "We are satisfied now that you have provided the right information, especially the fact that our athletes were not banned or found guilty of taking illegal substances. I will dare to say, information is key in portraying the good image of our dear country."