“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.
After inspecting the proposed venue, Tayo expressed satisfaction with the facilities available in the community, describing them as suitable for the championship.
“I’m happy that a beautiful edifice could be here. It’s good for the competition,” he said.
He assured the organisers that the federation would provide the technical support and professional equipment required for the tournament, including competition tables and other materials.
Tayo also disclosed that the country’s 16 highest-ranked male and female players would be brought to Ogu to compete in the championship.
“We’ll bring them, we’ll facilitate the process of ensuring that they come. We will provide all the professional kits that they will require,” he said.
In his remarks, Iyaye, who is also the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, traced his interest in the sport to his childhood in Port Harcourt, where table tennis was a popular recreational activity.
“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 desire to revive the sport in Ogu led to the establishment of a community Christmas table tennis competition, which gradually grew to attract players from different parts of Rivers State.
According to him, the success of the local and state-level competitions inspired him to pursue a national tournament for the community.
Iyaye described the decision to bring the National Top 16 Championship to Ogu as a significant milestone for the community, thanking the NTTF president for accepting to host the competition there.
“I want to specially thank you for accepting to come, not only to Rivers State, but to Ogu, to host the National Top 16. That is a major feat,” he said.
He said the community was prepared to provide the facilities and logistical support needed for a successful tournament, listing its hotels, road network, memorial hall and electricity supply as some of the available resources.
“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,” Iyaye said.
He added that the initiative was also aimed at attracting wider recognition to Ogu through sports.
Also speaking, the South-South representative on the NTTF board, Ama-ebi Ebikpolade, described the hosting arrangement as an important development for the region, noting that Rivers State had not hosted a major federation 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.
He praised Iyaye for providing the support that made the championship possible, expressing optimism that the event would become a regular feature in Ogu.
“Today, we have started. We have taken the first step towards the annual hosting of the Nigerian National Top 16 in Ogu, courtesy of Alabo Boma Iyaye, and we cannot thank him enough,” he said.
