Tag: Matthew Kuti

By Inioluwa David

Matthew Kuti and Sukurat Aiyelabegan reclaimed the titles they lost in 2024 to Abdulbasit Abdulfatai and Kabirat Ayoola at the 3^rd  Daniel Ford Elite Table Tennis Tournament, held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The colourful and well-attended finals, had in attendance Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NDC).

The climax of the tournament lived up to expectations, with sponsor Yemi Edun reaffirming his commitment to staging the competition annually.

Kuti was flawless throughout, delivering near-perfect performances from the group stage to the final, where he dominated Muiz Adegoke 4-0 to reclaim the boys’ U-19 title. With this victory, Kuti has now won the category twice in the last three editions. Similarly, Aiyelabegan defeated Khadijat Okanlawon 4-0 to secure the girls’ U-19 crown, also her second triumph in three years.

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Governor Sanwo-Olu, who served as the special guest, praised Edun for his foresight in sponsoring the tournament with the aim of discovering grassroots talent. He also urged athletes to embrace discipline, hard work, and to avoid doping.

“We must commend Mr. Yemi Edun for keeping faith with the tournament over the past three years. This is what we lack in grassroots sports development. We must also thank the President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), Wahid Enitan Oshodi, for his commitment to the sport and for being a worthy ambassador of Nigeria and Lagos globally. I urge players to imbibe virtues that will help them succeed and avoid vices that could jeopardize their future,” he said.

Edun, thrilled by the players’ performances, promised to continue improving the quality of the tournament, with hopes that more talents will emerge to represent Nigeria in the future.

Meanwhile, in other categories, Chinenye Okafor of Abia retained the girls’ U-15 title and was named Most Valuable Player (female), while Habeeb Adebayo clinched the boys’ MVP award alongside the U-12 boys’ title. Elizabeth Emelike of Abia emerged champion in the girls’ U-12 singles, and Joseph Marvelous of Kogi defeated Umar Ayoola of Lagos 3-0 to win the boys’ U-15 title.

Nigeria’s finest table tennis players, led by the sensational Matthew Kuti, are gearing up for the 11th edition of the Elicris Table Tennis Cup, scheduled for December 22-23 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

The two-day national tournament, organised in partnership with the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) under the leadership of Adesoji Tayo, is sponsored by the Babatunde Abayomi Adejobi (BAA) Foundation.

As the final major event of the year, it promises thrilling contests while reaffirming the foundation’s commitment to youth sports development.

Babatunde Adejobi, founder of the BAA Foundation, explained that the competition was designed to help the NTTF identify new talents and prepare athletes for major events in 2026.

“We are not going to relent in our efforts to support youth development. For over a decade, this tournament has fostered friendships among young people while helping the NTTF discover talent. Some of our players are now part of the national team, and what inspires us most is their enthusiasm and desire to excel,” Adejobi said.

He added that beyond staging the tournament, the foundation would continue to support players in pursuing international exposure.

“We will keep helping them achieve their dream of playing at a world level. We are satisfied with the quality of play and grateful for the support from NTTF and the Lagos State Sports Commission through the Lagos State Table Tennis Association (LSTTA).”

NTTF President, Tayo, praised the BAA Foundation’s consistency in sponsoring the tournament, describing it as a major boost to the federation’s efforts.

“We appreciate what the foundation is doing because it makes our work easier.” Tayo said. “Sponsorship allows us to identify new talents alongside established ones.”

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He added: “ Our focus remains on youth because they are the future of the sport. When you see teenagers like the Lebrun brothers of France defeating top Chinese stars, it shows us the importance of giving our young players opportunities to shine. We thank Mr. Adejobi for his commitment and for keeping faith with this tournament, which closes our calendar for 2025.”

Chairman of LSTTA, Tunji Lawal, also commended the foundation’s vision, noting how the tournament has grown from a state-level event into a national competition.

“We are happy with the management of the BAA Foundation for deciding to go national since last year, and the tournament is getting bigger every year. We believe more players will emerge again this year, and I thank Mr. Adejobi for his forthrightness and vision in making the tournament a national event.”

Over the years, the Elicris Table Tennis Cup has evolved into more than just a tournament. It has become a talent pipeline for Nigerian table tennis, a platform for friendship, and a beacon of youth empowerment.

As the 11th edition unfolds in Lagos, the event continues to strengthen Nigeria’s presence in global table tennis while inspiring the next generation of champions.

Rising Nigerian table tennis star Matthew Kuti once again proved his immense potential with a string of commanding performances at the 2025 ITTF Africa Championships in Tunis, earning him the Most Improved Male Player Award.

The 14-year-old sensation caught the eye of fans and officials alike with his agility, precision, and fearless play against more experienced opponents, helping Nigeria reach the semi-finals of the continental event.

Kuti’s consistency and composure throughout the competition underlined why he’s regarded as one of Africa’s brightest prospects.

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“Congratulations to Kuti Matthew, named @ethiopian_holidays Most Improved Player of the tournament,” ITTF Africa announced.

His impressive showing capped a breakthrough season that saw him break into the world’s top 200, while also cementing his reputation as Nigeria’s next big name in table tennis.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian men’s team also received the STAG Fair Play Award for their sportsmanship in Tunis — a proud moment that rounded off a memorable championship for the country.

Lagos State’s Matthew Kuti emerged the winner of the 2^nd  African Table Tennis in Diaspora Tournament at the Ibadan Recreation Club after defeating Basit Abdufatai in the men’s singles final.

For his effort, the Nigeria Number One ranked player got  the sum of N300,000 while Abdufatai settled for second place and prize money of N200,000.

Sultan Agunbiade won the Most Valuable Player of the tournament with his performance during the competition despite losing out in the Round of 16.

While praising the players and the sponsors of the tournament, the organiser, Wale Ajetunmobi, said it was a successful championship for everyone.

 “The competition was a successful one, the players were happy, sponsors also happy, the competition was judged the best in the year 2024.”

Speaking further, Ajetunmobi, assured of a better tournament in the year 2025 while also asking for more from the sponsors.

 “I want the sponsors and others to look into investing in these young players. This year, we were able to cater for 32 players, but there are so many out there also looking for the same opportunity and we can also extend it to the females too.”

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Meanwhile, the African Table Tennis in Diaspora, has  extended  its utmost gratitude to the Ibadan Recreation Club, the president of Africa Table Tennis Federation, Wahid Oshodi, the Vice president and Technical Director of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Tayo Adesoji, the organiser, Ajetunmobi, Tunji Ojebode and retired ping ponger, Segun Toriola.

The President emeritus of ATTD, Charles Olayinka, said  his vision  was  to groom the next Aruna Quadris, and Segun Toriolas for Nigeria.

He said: “We are now expanding to Africa to start assisting players and exposing them to the future ahead.We were able to live stream this event for all the ATTD members and Table Tennis enthusiasts to join and watch through our YouTube channel.”

Pastor Henry Aderibigbe represented Charles Olayinka in his presence. Pastor Henry also presented award to Agunbiade Sultan for the best player of the tournament.

Olayinka also sent his gratitude to donors such as ATTD organization, Tes Iloh, Azuka Okuleye, Charles Ariyibi and Emmanuel Tuglo. 

A few days after surrendering his national title, Matthew KUTI reclaimed his gong just as Hope Udoaka ruled the women’s  singles at the 10th Elicris Table Tennis Cup held at Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Kuti was dethroned by Abdulbasit Abdulfatai at the Daniel Ford tournament but the teenage sensation put the defeat behind him to rally from 2-0 down to beat Muiz Adegoke 4-2 in the men’s singles of the championship.

To emerge champion, Kuti won 4-2 (4-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-5, 12-10).

A delighted KUTI described the win as a good return to the top of the game in the country. 

Meanwhile, Udoaka of Cross River confirmed her dominance in the country after beating Sukurat Aiyelabegan 4-2 in the final of the women’s singles.

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Despite winning the first game at 11-4, Aiyelabegan fell short of her dominance as she was humbled by her experienced opponent to concede defeat at 4-2 (4-11, 11-4, 14-12, 11-9, 13-15, 11-7).

For the sponsor, Yomi Adejobi, there are plans to expand the tournament with more players competing in the next edition. 

“Our aim is to empower the young players and we believe with this kind of tournament we can identify talent and also nurture them to stardom,” he said.

Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, who  was the guest of honour at the event, lauded the sponsor for bankrolling the tournament, adding that it is in tandem with the state’s Governor vision for youth empowerment through sports. 

“We must thank the sponsor for this gesture and we hope other well-meaning individuals will take a cue from this and more young players will be empowered through sports,” he said.

Teenage sensation Matthew Kuti will be the cynosure of all eyes when Nigeria begin  its title defence at the 2024 ITTF West Africa Regional Championships taking place in Lome, Togo on April 25 to 27.

Kuti, a double medallist at the 13th African Games in Ghana will be making his debut at the regional tournament which serves as the qualifiers for the 2024 African Championships will be held in Ethiopia come October.

Touted as title contender in Togo, Kuti will face a Herculean task against experienced players like former champion Oba Oba Kizito of Cote d’Ivoire and homeboy Fanny Kokou.

But the Lagos State champion will not be alone in Lome as he has the likes of Muiz Adegoke, Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Samuel Boboye, and Matthew Fabunmi as part of the men’s team.

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Another African Games medallist Hope Udoaka will lead the women’s team alongside Ajoke Ojomu and three junior stars – Kabirat Ayooola, Aisha Rabiu, and Ize Sezue.

The team will be handled by Dotun Omoniyi who was an assistant to acting national coach Segun Toriola at the 13th  African Games in Ghana.

In Lomé, 32 men and 29 women from Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, and host – Togo will slug it out in four events (team and singles for men and women).

Kokou will spearhead the home team he will be joined by returnee Mawussi Agbetoglo; Assou Atarou, Desire Akakpo, Elias Agbodjan, while the host nation women team has Eli Akouto Amegee, Fanida Ayoko Amah, Golda Kayi Amah, Celine Mouzou, and Light Senami Maella Avodagbe.