By Philips Robinson-Adefioye, UK
The Nigeria Table Tennis Coaches Association(NTTCA), has warned some elements on the board of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation who are imposing former African champion, Segun Toriola for the position of National head coach should desist from such act.
This was made known to www.sunrisetimes.com.ng by NTTCA that some people in NTTF board believes that NTTCA is inconsequential as stakeholders in the game.
The chairman of the Nigeria Table Tennis Coaches Association (NTTCA), Niyi Oladipopo who spoke on behalf of the Association said Segun wouldn’t have travelled with the team to Busan, South Korea for the ITTF, World Table Tennis Championship or created a website for the Federation if nobody is giving him backup to forge ahead.
Oladipopo explained that contacting the NTTF President, Engineer Ishaku Tikon, his replied was there was an ITTF championship in Slovenia which Nigeria miss last year pointing out that if it happened again this year, it might lead to the country’s sanction which is why NTTF hurriedly arrange Segun Toriola to lead Team Nigeria to South Korea.
” We have nothing against Toriola but the way and manner some board members of the NTTF have been going about things without carrying along the NTTCA does not worth it.
” They think NTTCA have no say in selecting the right candidate to head the national team, when things are not clear, it is our right to ask why because Toriola is not the right person to coach Team Nigeria senior team as a matter of fact to such magnitude championship.
“When I ask him why the choice of Toriola? Tikon replied that there was an ITTF competion that the country suppose to take part-in last year in Slovenia but Team Nigeria missed it and not participating in this year’s edition will definitely lead to sanction and for the nation not to be sanctioned, the NTTF hurriedly gathered the players from Europe for the championship.
“I also ask Mr Tikon if they (NTTF) board hurriedly picked the players from Europe, is that also the reason they picked Toriola when the country has competent certified coaches? We have over a hundred and fifty coaches in the country and more than fifty are certified and competent and these are the coaches that have been producing players and have also taken through qualifications, some Commonwealth games, World Junior championship and so forth.
“These coaches have been wining, eg last year these coaches won more than six medals in ITTF World Junio Championship, in under 13,15 and 19 and for senior team, NTTF has competent coaches it has been using for all the tournaments played throughout last year”.
Oladipopo emphasised that Toriola is not ripe to handle the senior team because the record is there adding that the more they try to impose him, the more it affects the country at the international level.
In his words “don’t let us forget that the same Toriola and Funke Oshinaike under the leadership of Barrister Wahid Enitan Oshodi who took Abayomi Animashaun and Muyibat Bello to an ITTF Cadet Tournament in 2010 when Funke Oshinaike slapped Muyibat in the indoor hall of the championship for not playing well and ITTF issued a strong note of warning letter to NTTF on Funke’s conduct and what was Toriola’s outcome.
” 2016 ITTF World Junior Championship in South Africa Toriola could not deliver, in Africa Game in Morocco, also don’t let us forget Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, they pushed him to coach Aruna Quadri but Aruna refused that Segun can not coach him(Aruna).
He ask a question where is the coach who has been with him (Aruna) from prelims? or have we forgotten 2023 ITTF African Tournament in Cameroun when Dotun Omoniyi, coached players from prelims and qualified the women’s team to the final and the coach was told to step aside for Segun to take the players in the final, what was the out come? he couldn’t deliver, our women’s team lost the final match to Egypt”.
He opined that his (Toriola) record so-far is an handwriting on the wall adding that being an achiever as a player does not signify that one would be excellent in coaching career.
