All is presently not well with the Para division of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, as aggrieved coaches and athletes, denied places on the Commonwealth Games bound team have vowed to expose the rot in the division.
With less than a month to the 22nd Commonwealth Games holding in Birmingham July 28 – August 8, 2022, Para Table Tennis, a strong hold for Team Nigeria is facing internal crisis which is threatening to boil over as some coaches and players have alleged foul play in the team selection ahead of the games.
Speaking from his base in Taraba, a senior para table tennis coach, Kunle Jeriogbe, has promised not to relent in his protest against the selection of coaches for the Para Table Tennis team heading into the games.
“I am taking my case to the Sports Minister. There is clear bias in the selection of national coaches for the team. How can they be planning to take someone who was dismissed from the Civil Defence to the Commonwealth Games? That was how they smuggled him to the Olympics in Tokyo almost a year ago. There are Para Table Tennis coaches all over the country yet they will ignore us and pick someone who is not with us and ask him to lead our athletes”, a very angry coach spoke over the telephone. A foremost Para Table Tennis player in the country, Eghosa Osaigbovo who represents Edo state in the class 10 category also expressed shock at his non-inclusion in the UK bound team.“Since 2006, I have remained unbeaten in the country. Nobody has been able to defeat me in class 10 but I don’t get invited to the national team.