Nigeria’s women table tennis legend, Funke Oshonaike said she is done with representing the country, after officials of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation said her participation in the African Games in Accra, Ghana is in doubt.
The table tennis event begins on March 3.
Oshonaike has participated in seven Olympic Games and won several African Games medals from Algiers 2007 to Morocco 2019 where she won silver in the doubles of an all Nigerian final featuring Offiong Edem and Cecilia Akpan/ Oshonaike and Fatimo Bello.
Oshonaike was getting herself ready for the 2024 Games, but officials of the NTTF dropped her name from the list at the last minute for an unknown person who is not in any way going to contribute to the success of the Nigerian team.
The NTTF claimed that it was the Sports Ministry that dropped her from the list, but it turned out that it was a lie to justify their actions.
“After I single handedly sponsored myself to Tunis for the African championships last year, where I won gold in the doubles, silver in mixed doubles and silver in team events. I decided that it was time to call it quits.
“But coach Segun Toriola prevailed on me that I should for his sake do the Africa Games just one more time and I agreed. When they came back from the Olympic qualifying tournament in Korea I was informed that I was no longer needed,” said Oshonaike.
“Coach Toriola said everything he could to make them change their minds, but they insisted it was the Sports Ministry that asked them to remove my name. Who in the Sports Ministry gave that directive? It turned out that it was a lie.”
She added that she was still fit to play despite her age, but would not lobby anyone to represent Nigeria.
” I want the young ones to come up and win. But where are the young ones? Would they be able to sponsor themselves to tournaments to represent the country?
“About African championship in Tunis, they told me my money will be refunded , which up till now has not been given to me with my allowance . I am tired of their ‘shenanigans’ it is better I quit I am tired of their lies and deceit. I decided that I don’t want to do this anymore.
“The NTTF do this all the time; I have a job to do and it would even pay me more if I stayed back, it is love for the sport and my country that makes me come home all the time.
“The reason for competitive sports is for the athletes to win medals and laurels for your country and not to go on a jamboree or the fun of it
“There’s a lot of mess in the tennis federation and people would be shocked to know what has been going on. This is the reason Nigerian sport is not growing, this is the reason we have crisis in almost all the federarations.”
