Get Guardian on GoogleThe President of the Fifika Chiri Foundation, Alabo Boma Iyaye, says hosting Nigeria’s National Top 16 Table Tennis Championship in Ogu, Ogu/Bolo Local Council of Rivers State is a major push to promote grassroots sports development and also influence the emergence of next generation of table tennis players.
The four-day championship, scheduled for December 11 to 14, 2026, will feature the country’s 16 best male and female players, according to the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).
The competition, being sponsored by the Fifika Chiri Foundation, is expected to attract some of Nigeria’s finest table tennis players and provide a platform for promoting the sport, discovering talents and expanding its popularity in the South-South region.
Speaking during a visit to Ogu, where he inspected facilities for the championship, NTTF President, Dr Adesoji Tayo, commended Iyaye for his commitment to the development of table tennis and for bringing a national competition to Rivers State.
Tayo described the initiative as a significant step towards taking the sport beyond its traditional stronghold in the South-West, noting that hosting the championship in Ogu would help establish the South-South as another centre for table tennis development.
He said table tennis remained a sport for people of all ages, with benefits extending beyond competitive activities to recreation, physical fitness and healthy living.
“Table tennis is a game for all, and it is a game that can be played even till old age,” he said.
The NTTF president explained that the sport offered opportunities for young people to develop their talents, pursue professional careers and achieve international recognition.
“Coming to Rivers State is not just to talk about competition; it is to talk about table tennis and how table tennis can help us to live a good daily life,” Tayo said.
He expressed satisfaction with the facilities inspected in Ogu, describing the proposed venue as suitable for the national competition.
“I’m happy that a beautiful edifice could be here. It’s good for the competition,” he said.
Tayo also assured the organisers that the federation would provide the necessary professional equipment and technical support, including competition tables and other materials required for the championship.
He disclosed that the NTTF would facilitate the participation of the country’s top 16 male and female players, assuring that the athletes would be provided with the necessary professional kits.
Speaking during the visit, Iyaye, who is also the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said his commitment to table tennis was inspired by his childhood experiences and longstanding passion for sports.
“Growing up in Port Harcourt, we all played table tennis. You cannot grow up in Port Harcourt and not play table tennis,” he said.
He explained that his determination to revive interest in the sport in Ogu led to the establishment of a local Christmas table tennis competition, which gradually expanded to attract players from different parts of Rivers State.
According to him, the yearly competition has provided an opportunity for players to showcase their abilities and helped sustain interest in the sport at the grassroots.
The Fifika Chiri Foundation president described the NTTF’s acceptance of Ogu as host of the National Top 16 Championship as a major achievement for the community and Rivers State.
Iyaye listed the availability of hotels, a good road network, a memorial hall suitable for indoor sporting activities and reliable electricity supply through the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company and solar power systems as some of Ogu’s advantages.
“We will do everything within our means to make sure that this competition is not only held in Ogu once, but will continuously hold in this part of the world,” he said.
Also speaking, the South-South representative on the NTTF board, Ama-ebi Ebikpolade, described the decision to bring the championship to Rivers State as a major breakthrough for the region.
He noted that despite Rivers State’s reputation as a sporting destination, the South-South had not hosted a major NTTF competition in a long time.
“For the first time, I think for the first time, a tournament of that level is coming to Rivers State,” Ebikpolade said.
