He bestrode Nigeria’s and indeed’s table tennis like a colossus winning everything on offer in his hey days but Olympian , Commonwealth and table tennis champion, Atanda ‘Mansa’ Musa is reportedly now a security officer in New , USA.
The ping pong star who has represented Nigeria at two Summer Olympics in 1988 and 1992, taking part in both the singles and doubles events, is now working with a New York financial outfit called JPMorgan Chase.
This much was disclosed on the Nigeria Sports Village Square being administered by foremost journalist Osasu Obayiuwana where the current status of Atanda, fondly called Mansa Musa in his glorious days in table tennis, was divulged by a contributor.
“I visited my buddy who works for JP Morgan Chase in New York and In a surprising twist during my visit I learned that the renowned Nigerian table tennis champion, Atanda Musa, was employed in their security division,” he disclosed.
“Struck by the convergence of finance and sports, I seized the opportunity to engage in a profound conversation with Atanda.
“We delved into his remarkable journey, and I discussed with my friend the importance of ensuring that Atanda’s legacy transcends the confines of a corporate role.
“It was a chance meeting that not only bridged two seemingly disparate worlds but also sparked a commitment to preserving the impactful legacy of a legendary athlete,” he noted with breathy purr.
Indeed, African table tennis icons don’t come bigger than Mansa Musa who was once ranked 20th in the world at his peak.
Yet it’s instructive to know that there’s a marriage between sports and education which has now given the iconic Mansa Musa a new life long after his retirement from the active sport.
Musa whose rivalry with the late Yomi Bankole became the climax of the local tournaments, has successfully managed his career from Saudi Arabia and Qatar before berthing in the USA where he now works in the security department of JPMorgan Chase.
It would be recalled that in the 1980s, Mansa Musa was a house-hold name in the Nigerian sports as a professional table tennis star.
Through his remarkable and creative style of play, he won many hearts and followers of the game from grassroots to the top level of the sport.
He won the table tennis singles event at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships (in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), for Nigeria before partnering with Sunday Eboh to take the doubles gold in the same discipline in 1982.
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Along with Francis Sule, Atanda, again, won the table tennis doubles gold medal at the 1985 Commonwealth Games. He achieved a clean sweep of gold in each of the singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles events representing Nigeria at the 1987 All-Africa Games and then, in 1991, with Bose Kafo as partner, he won the Commonwealth Games’ Mixed Doubles event for table tennis.
Arguably one of the best table tennis players to contest out of Africa, Musa’s backhand play, and the loop associated with it remains his pièce de résistance. He played in various countries and locations and during his best years in Alicante, Spain.
Besides playing, the 10-time African Men’s Table Tennis Singles Champion, has always liked coaching. In 1992 he became a full-time coach in Saudi Arabia for three years. In 1995 he was hired to coach in Qatar at the Ali club. In 1997 he returned to Nigeria, where he continued to play and coach before moving permanently to the US.
He has reportedly coached various notable individuals including celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Drew Barrymore and Nancy Pelosi, in addition to his successful coaching career.
Musa’s coaching style emphasizes hard work, discipline, and dedication, with a focus on developing players’ skills and helping them reach their full potential. He currently resides in New York City where he coaches in his spare time at SPIN.
The former African and Commonwealth table tennis champion, Atanda Musa, has admitted that taking part in the yearly Asoju Oba Cup added colours to his life.
“My life will not complete without mentioning the vital role the Asoju Oba Cup played in my life and career,” Mansa Musa reportedly said in a recent interview.” My 90 per cent success in life was based on the support I got from the late Chief Okoya-Thomas when I was a level two coach with the Lagos State Sports Council while he was the chairman of the Council.
He added: “Competing in the tournament from early 1980s really brought me into limelight in Nigeria and earned me a place in the national team. As the tournament usually takes place in December, it affords us the opportunity to win several gift items while my first car in life was through the tournament, which I won after defeating Yomi Bankole in one of the finals.”
Even as the family of the late business mogul in collaboration with Lagos State Sports Commission are planning elaborate 50th anniversary of the competition this month, Musa said that he would forever remain grateful to Chief Okoya-Thomas having contributed immensely to his success on and off the table.
“I cannot quantify the contribution of Chief Okoya-Thomas to my life because it was through the competition that I gained more experience playing against the seniors while I became the first table tennis player to win a brand new Peugeot Saloon car by competing in the competition.
“I must also commend the family for keeping and upholding the legacy of Chief Okoya-Thomas by staging the tournament despite the demise of the initiator,” he noted.
