The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has announced its line-ups for a run of continental and regional events, with Nigerian players set to take part in competitions in Ghana and Guinea later this month.
In a release published over the weekend, the federation named Umar Ayoola, Habeeb Adebayo, Emmanuella Shaibu and Elizabeth Eminike to represent Nigeria at the 2026 Africa Hopes Week & Challenges. The event is scheduled for 13–18 July in Accra.
Matthew Kuti will lead Nigeria’s group at the Western Region Championships in Guinea, joined by Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, Funmilayo Ojo and Khadijat Okanlawon. Nigeria will look to retain its men’s and women’s singles titles against opponents from across West Africa between 15 and 18 July, with singles and team honours both on offer.
At the African Youth Championships, Kuti will once again captain the boys’ under-19 squad, alongside Sultan Agunbiade, Matthew Fabunmi and Quadri Atunwon. For the girls’ under-19 competition, Ojo and Okanlawon are included with Kabirat Ayoola and Khadijah Musa. In the under-15 bracket, Joseph Victor, Samson Joshua, Joseph Marvelous and Ayoola will play for the boys, while Aishat Rabiu, Aziza Sezuo, Chinenye Okafor and Elizabeth Emelike will represent the girls.
NTTF President Adesoji Tayo said the teams were selected and prepared with care during a training camp held at Babcock University. He also expressed gratitude to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Afolarin Ojewole, for hosting the camp.
Coach Dotun Omoniyi, who guided the technical staff during the camp, said he believes the athletes are ready for their assignments. “I am confident that the teams will all do well in the tournaments because the camping exercise has really helped the players to get used to new techniques in table tennis. We are not going there to add to the numbers but to compete for titles,” Omoniyi said as the Hopes Week team departed for Accra.
The training programme is set to continue this week, with the squad heading to Guinea scheduled to depart on 14 July. The contingent for Ghana will leave Nigeria on 18 July ahead of the Youth Championships, which start on 20 July in Accra.
