The President of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, NBF, Mr. Wale Edun, has called for clarity on the purported “NBF Pro” initiative, questioning its connection to the federation and the process behind its formation.
Edun, a former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, raised the issue over the weekend, in the APB Nigeria WhatsApp group, a platform for boxing stakeholders administered by the NBF Technical Director, Mr. Babatunde Laguda.
In his message, the NBF President demanded to know the official status of the proposed professional arm.
“Afternoon. What is NBF Pro’s relationship with NBF? If related, what procedure was used to arrive at these decisions and who was informed? Rgds.”
As of press time, the individuals reportedly promoting the initiative, Mr. Yakubu Imadu Omonlei, NBF Vice President, and Mr. Azania Omo-Agege, had not responded to the query despite being members of the same platform.
The Secretary of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, NBBofC, Mr. Remi Aboderin, commended the NBF President for addressing the issue, describing it as a lingering controversy that has caused unease in the boxing community.
Aboderin urged Chief Edun to institute a formal investigation to prevent further confusion.
“With this development, it is quite obvious that the Vice President of the NBF, Yakubu Imadu Omonlei, and Azania Omo-Agege, who were behind this scheme, are pursuing a parallel professional boxing body to realize their ambition of controlling Nigerian boxing,” Aboderin alleged.
He noted that the NBF’s statutory mandate is to oversee amateur boxing in Nigeria, and as such, must determine if any approval was granted for the proposed professional initiative.
Using a Yoruba proverb to buttress his point, Aboderin added: “When an adult is in the house, the she-goat is not to suffer the pains of parturition on its tether.”
It will be recalled that the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, had earlier issued a statement dissociating the Commission from the NBF Pro initiative. He warned promoters to desist from actions capable of undermining the development and unity of Nigerian boxing.
At the time of filing this report, Messrs Omonlei and Omo-Agege had not issued any public response to the issues raised by the NBF President or the NBBofC Secretary.
The controversy continues to generate debate within the Nigerian boxing fraternity.
