Musliu Anibaba’s passion for sports developed while at Methodist Boys High School (MBHS) in Lagos but his stature and physic denied him the chance of being in the school’s football team. However, his ability to read games endeared him to the coaches who co-opted him into the team’s technical crew, which led to victorious at the Lagos Principal’s Cup in 1948. The former Vice Chairman, Nigeria Table tennis Federation (NTTF) was not a happy man when he spoke to Olalekan Okusan last week, lamenting the negative the attitude of government to sport particularly the preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The 85 year-old said that Nigerian sports would continue to suffer as long as the right people are not in charge.
Octogenarian Musliu Anibaba still follows sports with passion and his interest in sports started at Methodist Boys High School (MBHS) in Lagos when he was part of the ‘technical team’ that inspired MBHS to clinch the maiden edition of the Lagos Principal’s Cup in 1948.
Narrating his foray into sports, Anibaba said: “I came into sports in my secondary school days at Methodist Boys High School (MBHS). I could not be part of the school football team because I was too young and small, but I had a technical idea of how the game should be played and members of the team who recognised my talent decided to co-opt me into the technical crew. It was such a pleasure that I was part of the MBHS team that won the maiden edition of the prestigious Lagos Principal’s Cup in 1948. Then I was just 16 and in the team had the likes of Muri Gbajabiamila, Koffi Sagoe, Nosiru Dosunmu and Jibade Williams.”
However, Anibaba came into limelight was when he was named the Secretary General of the Nigeria Table Tennis Association (NTTA). “After my schooling at MBHS, I travelled to United Kingdom (UK) for further studies and I returned in the early 1960s. I became the Vice Chairman of the UAC Table Tennis Club at Abibu Oki in Lagos Island. At that time most national players train at UAC because there was no National Stadium then.
“In those days UAC produced most of the national team players like Ademola Ali ‘Fireman’, Ayanlaja and Alagbala. Later I was invited alongside late Gboyega Efunkoya to join the NTTA Caretaker Committee. At that time, we had passion for the sport and we spent all we had to develop the game. Fortunately, I was named the team manager of the national team to the 1963 World Championships in Prague. The team did not have enough preparation and I went only with three players. A week to our departure, the players were camped in my house with my wife catered for them. When we were to travel, I inquired from the NTTA President, Sikiru Onibudo about funding and he told me to see the Minister of Social Welfare called JMJ. When I got to the minister’s office with the team, the minister referred us to his secretary who provided all what we needed for the trip including our allowances. We were all happy and we got a mention in the media (with our pictures) when we were about to leave for Prague.”
For Anibaba being an administrator goes beyond the pecks of office. He noted that anyone who aspires to become an administrator must have the zeal to serve and contribute positively to the growth of sports. “It was the will to serve that made me become a sports administrator and for me the athletes were very important. We realised that without the athletes we can exist and that is why we were so much concerned about the welfare of the athletes which is not prevalent nowadays.”
The octogenarian’s life revolves round table tennis and for more than a decade, he was part of the team that oiled the system that produced national stars like Babatunde Obisanya, Lateef Sunmola as well as Atanda Musa.
A not-too-happy Anibaba believes government has continued to pay lip service to sports, adding that this has affected the fortune of sports in the country. “It is unfortunate that Nigeria has never had the government that gives sports what it deserves. The government generally has not been fair to sports and what the government has been doing is to cater for politicians who find their way in sports.
“They don’t make arrangement for sports development. What they only do is to celebrate success. Look at what China is doing. There is mass participation in sports and they are presently reaping the results. If government gives sport the needed attention, there will be fewer criminals. In China there are not many young criminals because they are in sports and they are not available for vices. Look at how talented Nigerians are and it is only Nigeria in Africa than can line up in the semi and final of the Olympics sprint events. There is no African country that achieved that. In the relay, Nigeria most times makes the finals of the women and men events. If I were in government, I will begin preparation for the 2020 Olympics, hoping that the athletes will come back with medals,” he said.
With few days to the kick-off of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the former chairman of Island Club said It was a shame that most people who run sports since the military took over in 1966 are not sportsmen, but people who went into sports for personal benefits. I know there are still people who really love sports. From the performance of the sports federations, you will understand the mentality of those in charge of the sports. Before 1966, you must show interest in sports before becoming a member of the association and be ready to invest your money and time. So preparing for the Olympics is a four-year plan. Most advanced countries prepare Olympics gold medalist for 12 years. Immediately they spot the talents, they start preparing such athletes with the support of the private sector. But in Nigeria, we don’t do that and it is a shame that we always start preparation four months to the Games,” he said.
Continuing he said: “I had expected that before London 2012 Olympics, we should have been preparing the athletes that will attend Rio 2016 Olympics. Our focus should be on young stars that can be groomed to become world beaters. It is a shame that we don’t do that in Nigeria and the best result we had at the Olympics was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in United States. We were able to achieve such results because most of the athletes then were trained in the U.S. I know of these athletes because the likes of Mary Onyali and Falilat Ogunkoya started as juniors and they were polished in America. They have all been in the system before early 1990s before claiming medals at the Olympics. I think this is the only way out and we must stop this fire brigade approach we are used to. We cannot achieve anything with this approach. Also, we must have people who are interested in the sports; most of the people in sports federations use the post to get into international bodies and abandon the sports.”
“If we watch the progress of Blessing Okagbare her performance at the Beijing 2008 Olympics was not by accident and I was sure if she was a Briton, she will win gold at the London 2012 having won bronze in Beijing. But she did not and I know that the girl has the capacity to become what Usain Bolt is to the world in the men’s sprint. It is unfortunate that she is a Nigerian because she has all the talents to dominate the women world. So Nigeria has to change its approach to sports by letting those who are keen about sports to run it and not to bring politicians who are clueless to take charge of sports,” he added.
The former NTTF secretary general also clamoured for a national honour for Africa’s most decorated table tennis star, Segun Toriola, who will be making history at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the first African to feature in seven Olympic Games. “I am surprised that with what the likes of Toriola and Atanda Musa have achieved in table tennis, no government has deemed it fit to honour them. “I think Toriola deserves an honour having been involved in the sports for several years and putting Nigeria on the world. Toriola has conquered the African continent and for this, he deserves recognition.”
Anibaba is, however, happy with the resurgence of table tennis under the leadership of Wahid Oshodi, which he described as the return of the glory of the game in Nigeria. “I think the government did not allow those who understand the sports to take charge, but the emergence of Wahid Oshodi as the President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has brought life back into the sport.
