President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Ifedayo Akindoju, has commended the organisation, facilities, and overall atmosphere at the venue of the tennis events at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
Speaking after the tennis event ended, Akindoju expressed satisfaction with the level of professionalism and conduct displayed by players and officials, as well as the calm and orderly environment at the venues.
Akindoju was particularly impressed with the introduction of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) category, describing it as a groundbreaking initiative that enhances youth sports development in Nigeria.
He said: “I’m very appreciative of the quality of the facilities first, and then, of course, the players. The atmosphere has been generally very good just as the players’ conduct. The work of the officials has been commendable. Everything went on very well.”
He also praised the favourable weather, which allowed the matches to proceed without disruption. “We’ve been very lucky with the rains. The weather has been very good, and the matches have turned out very well.”
Impressed by Ogun State’s hosting capability, Akindoju called for the state to be considered for hosting the next edition of the festival, saying that such an opportunity would allow for further improvement of existing infrastructure and attract international sporting events.
He said: “If Ogun State hosts the next edition of this event, we can use the opportunity to improve the facilities, just like we have golf clubs and other sporting amenities. That way, we can attract international events here.”
On the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) programme, he said: “This is a very innovative move. For the first time, we have a group called Invited Junior Athletes, and introducing them to the festival at such a young age makes the competition more engaging. At the last count, they were ranked 14th, which is very impressive.”
On the court, US-based player Christopher Bulus led the charge for Team Ogun with an outstanding performance. He won gold in the men’s singles on Sunday, defeating Bayelsa’s David Ekpeyong 6-2 before Ekpeyong retired while trailing 2-0 in the second set.
Bulus then teamed up with Azeez Aleem to win the men’s doubles in a dramatic comeback against Ekpeyong and Uche Oparaoji of Bayelsa.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s top-ranked female player, Barakat Quadri, was in dominant form as she powered Team Delta to double gold. She defeated Ogun’s Yakubu Ohunene 6-1, 6-1 in the women’s singles final and returned to partner Ronke Akingbade in the doubles, where they beat Edo State’s Lovely Holzendorf and Blessing Omotayo 6-2, 6-2.
