THE Nigeria Basketball Federation is optimistic that the D’Tigers jerseys stuck at the seaport in Lagos will be cleared before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics begin.
The Games will start officially on 23 July while the basketball event will take off three days later.
NBBF President Musa Kida has promised that the issue will be resolved and kits from its sponsor Peak will be cleared.
“The Federal Ministry of Sports is aware of the situation and they have stepped in and are in discussions with the relevant bodies,” Kida said on Saturday.
“I can assure you that the Minister of Youth and Sports, Honourable Sunday Dare, is in discussion with the Ministry of the Finance who is in charge of such waiver on Customs duties.”
The customs are asking for N35 million to clear the kit while the NBBF are seeking a waiver as the jerseys is for use in the service of Nigeria.
“The NBBF is an agency of the government and it is expected that such a fee would not be a source of worry for us, because if you look at what they are asking for and our financial capacity, there is no way we can raise such money on our own,” Kida added.
Kida admitted that the jersey the team is going to wear at the games should not be a primary source of concern.
“Nigerians should focus on what the federation, coaching staff and the players are doing right to get ready for the Olympics,” he said.
He promised that the NBBF will provide every necessary support to ensure the best performance ever of the Nigerian basketball teams at any Olympics.
Both D’Tigers and D’Tigress qualified for the Olympics, making them the only basketball teams at the Tokyo Games.
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