Tunde Fadare, at the weekend, edged Kehinde Lawal 4-3 to claim the star prize of a Toyota Corolla as the fifth NNPC-NUIMS Table Tennis Tournament came to an end at Ikoyi Club, Lagos.
In the Premiership category, the hard-smashing Fadare saved a match point while trailing 10-9 (3-1) to win the fifth game 12-10 before going on to win the penultimate sixth and final seventh sets.
Christian Ihwiwhu won the Championship title by beating Izu Obi while Chinwe Igwe took Ladies singles title with a victory over Adebola Tewogbade.
Afeez Oduntan paired Jide Diya to win the Men’s Doubles title at the expense of Tunde Fadare and ITT Jimoh.
The Veterans’ Singles honour went to Seye Oki who defeated ITT Jimoh just as the Septua Veteran title was won by Bode Adekugbe as he outlasted Lateef Ogboye in a keen contest.
In his closing remarks, CUIO NUIMS, Bala Wunti said NNPC is proud to partner Ikoyi Club to host the tournament, noting that it provides athletes opportunity to showcase their skills and also foster unity among members as well as communities.
Wunti, who was represented by the Deputy Manager, External Relations NUIMS, Bunmi Lawson, noted that sports has been a key unifying factor among Nigerians, saying that it is part of NNPC’s community social responsibility.
Also speaking at the event, the Royal Father of the Day, Alayeluwa Oba Adewale Osiberu (Elepe of Epe Sagamu), urged government to invest more in sports, saying that it provides employment opportunities for youths while also reducing social vices.
“It’s been fun all day because table tennis is an exciting sport. More tournaments like this should be organised by the section,” he said.
Table Tennis Section Chairman, Dare Olude was full of thanks for the sponsor and club members as well. He stated that the star prize has further raised the value of the section.
