The crisis rocking the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) continued over the weekend as the Nigeria Boxing Referees/Judges Association opposed former NBF President Kenneth Minimah’s decision to withdraw Nigeria from the International Boxing Association (IBA).
In a statement signed by President Etim Okon, the Referees/Judges Association expressed their full support for the appointment of Azania Omo-Agege as the interim president of the NBF, primarily because he does not support the switch from IBA to World Boxing.
Many nations are now abandoning IBA due to years of alleged corruption which led the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban IBA from the Olympics this past June. The decision to derecognize the IBA was done at a specially called meetin by IOC President Thomas Bach. The vote was 69-1 in favor of banning IBA, with 10 members abstaining. The decision ended a years-long dispute fueled by defying advice and instructions from the IOC. Boxing, however, will keep its status as an Olympic sport at the 2024 Paris Games.
Nevertheless, in their statement, the Referees/Judges Association said, “That we are still federating under the International Boxing Association (IBA).”
“That we have not joined nor do we intend to join the so-called ‘World Boxing.”
“That if a few persons parading themselves to represent this association do so, they do that representing their parochial interest and not the generality of this association.”
“At no time was there a meeting or form of plebiscite conducted to ask where we would like to federate under.”
The members of the association unequivocally stated that they were totally and wholly with the administration of Omo-Agege.
