Sports Commission nurtures tennis star to become Olympian
03 January 2025 |
4:33 am
In line with the National Sports Commission’s catch-them-young disposition, the Commission has thrown its weight behind teenage tennis sensation Khadijat Eleojo Mohammed.
In line with the National Sports Commission’s catch-them-young disposition, the Commission has thrown its weight behind teenage tennis sensation Khadijat Eleojo Mohammed.
At only 15, Khadijat has proven to be the next big thing in Nigerian tennis, as she became the first West or Central African player to win the ITF J30 World Tour.
Aged 14 in 2023, she is the first teenager to win the Dala Tennis, a title she retained in 2024. Way above her peers, she has even cracked it professionally with back-to-back Dala Hard Court titles.
The challenge for the young star now is how to take that step to the next level, considering the immense financial demands of professional tennis. For this reason, her father and coach, Mohammed Ohinoyi, a certified ITF coach and a former professional tennis player, appealed to the NSC for support.
They had helped her thus far with their meagre resources and could no longer afford the demands of the next phase of her development. NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko has stepped in, saying that the Commission will ensure that Khadijat’s full potential is realised.
“I am quite impressed with what you have been able to do with your tennis career,” Dikko told the young tennis player. “No doubt you deserve all the encouragement and support that you can get. Even if you didn’t come here, I am sure we would have found you along the line. I will make sure we support and help you to be the best you can be.”
Dikko continues: “Obviously, the potential is there. For you to win big tournaments professionally at such a young age, the future is very bright. We will support you so that you don’t fall by the wayside.
“This is in line with our grassroots program. We are embarking on a vigorous exercise to discover younger talents to take over from the older athletes. We are doing this across all sports. And here you are. Be rest assured that we will carry you on our wings.” He stated that the Commission will shortlist her for its adopt-an-athlete initiative.
“We have the adopt-an-athlete program, so we will see how we can put you on the platform where the companies we are dealing with can come to support you in addition to whatever support we can give as commission under our grassroots policy. We will look at you and see how we make you part of our program,” he said. Dikko said he has set his sights on Khadijat doing exploits at the Olympics someday.
“Tennis is also an Olympic sport. At this age, we can start nurturing the best tennis players to get us to the podium. With the right training, I believe that in two or three years, with the right roadmap, you should be having a go at the Olympics and other top competitions, and we see how we take it from there. So we need to get more details about her training and the plans”, he enthused.
“I am happy that your dad is your coach. Most successful tennis players started with their dad as a coach. We already have plans for grassroots development and elite development, and we will definitely try to reach you to see what we can do.
“We will liaise with the Nigeria Tennis Federation because whatever we have to do, we will align with the programs of the Federation and make sure they are part of what we are doing. We will push you as much as possible to take you to the next level.”
The NSC Chairman instantly assigned an aide, Musa Amadu, to follow up on Khadijat and provide updates.
“Since you train in our facility here at the MKO Abiola Stadium, we will come to watch. Be rest assured that we will keep a tab on you. We will follow your progress in the tournaments and circuits. You quite align with our vision to catch them young. We would be doing aggressive grassroots sports development as part of the overall vision, so you have come to the right place at the right time. We will ensure you are properly guided and your dreams activated,” he added. Dikko, however, cautioned her against dumping the nation afterwards.
“Be careful; it is not after we have pushed you up now; tomorrow, you say you are representing another country. You are laughing now, it’s not funny. Not after we have done all the hard work now, tomorrow another country will come and reap where they didn’t sow,” he stated.
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