- Oshodi becomes the second Nigerian to lead the continental body, following Engr Segun George, who served from 1988 to 1996
Nigeria’s Wahid Enitan-Oshodi has been unanimously elected as the 6th President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) during the Elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the African Union (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday.
Oshodi becomes the second Nigerian to lead the continental body, following Engr Segun George, who served from 1988 to 1996.
As the Executive Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Oshodi succeeded Egypt’s Khaled El-Salhy, who completed three terms as ATTF President.
The 40-member electorate unanimously supported Enitan-Oshodi, reflecting overwhelming delegate support for his leadership over the next four years. With this election, Oshodi is the only Nigerian heading a continental sports organisation.
Cameroon’s Alfred Bagueka was also unanimously elected as the Deputy President of ATTF. Germain Karou and Andrew Mudibo were elected Executive Vice Presidents (EVP) for Technical and Development, respectively.
The positions of EVP Administration, Finance, Media/PR, and Marketing saw keen competition among candidates from Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mauritania, and Uganda. For EVP Marketing, Ghana’s Mawuko Afadzinu triumphed over Uganda’s Robert Jjagwe with 22 votes to 18. Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Bizane won EVP Media/PR with 29 votes. South Africa’s Hajera Kajee secured EVP Finance with 20 votes, and Egypt’s Moataz Ashour won EVP Administration with 32 votes.
Also, Nigeria’s Olabanji Oladapo was elected into the ITTF Council as one of the eight-member councils from Africa.
Oladapo contested with 15 others, with eight of them making the list.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Wahid Enitan Oshodi on his emergence.
The president, in a release issued on Tuesday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that Oshodi’s election is a proud moment for Nigeria, reflecting the strong support he garnered in the lead-up.
President Tinubu said Oshodi’s election is also a vote of confidence on a seasoned sports administrator who has committed his time, energy and resources to develop table tennis at the grassroots level and demonstrated his integrity, accountability, and dedication in carrying out his responsibilities.
His commitment, he stated, inspired all sports enthusiasts and is a hopeful sign for the future of table tennis.
According to the president, Oshodi will bring his extensive leadership experience to elevate ATTF and the sport to the next level of success across the continent.
While applauding Oshodi’s passion and commitment towards advancing table tennis at the local, national and continent levels, the Nigerian leader assured him of the country’s continued goodwill and necessary support to succeed in his new role.
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