Matthew Kuti and Aiyelabegan Shukurat emerged champions at the Third Daniel Ford Table Tennis Tournament, reaffirming their dominance of the game which took place at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
Kuti claimed the men’s title with a commanding 4–0 victory over Adegoke Muiz, while Kwara State’s Aiyelabegan swept past Okanlawon Khadijat of Oyo State 4–0 to reclaim the U-19 girls’ crown. Aiyelabegan was also the inaugural winner of that category in 2023.
In the U-15 category, Abia State’s Chinenye Okafor edged Ajasa Ifeoluwa 2–1 to win the girls’ title, while Kogi State’s Joseph Marvelous defeated Lagos-based Ayoola Murwa 3–0 in the boys’ final.
Speaking at the event, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) underscored the role of sports in youth development and national cohesion, calling for increased diaspora investment in grassroots sports.
She said sustained private and diaspora-led support remains vital to nurturing talent and strengthening Nigeria’s sports ecosystem.
Yemi Edun, Founder/CEO, Daniel Ford International, organisers of the tournament, explained that organising the tournament was born out of his desire to give back to community and to give children the opportunity to enjoy what he enjoyed as a child.
Daniel Ford International is a trusted London-based property consultancy, uniquely positioned to serve African investors, family offices, and diaspora professionals seeking access to the UK’s prime real estate market.
“I grew up here and I know what it means to be part of what is happening here. This is a grassroot competition. I lived at Adeniran Ogunsanya and I used to come to this stadium (Teslim Balogun) to play and watch Table Tennis.
I know how these boys and girls feel because I was in that position some time ago. We used to watch Principal’s Cup here,” Edun said in an interview with BusinessDay on the sideline of the tournament, stressing that the aim of the competition is to give to the children what he enjoyed.
According to him, Lagos is the table tennis hub. “We all grew up playing the game. Most of the great players in Nigeria come from Lagos. This is the home of this game and so we should have a tournament of this nature,” he said.
Edun sees a nexus between sports and real estate, explaining that “while sports is a way of life or a lifestyle, real estate is just a dwelling and you need activities around that dwelling for it to have meaning. You cannot divorce sports from real estate and sports. Even when these boys make money from sports, they will ultimately spend it on real estate.”
Speaking on Detty December which is the buzzword across major cities, especially Lagos, Edun noted that since he came back (from London where he is based), he has seen a lot of energy, pointing out that, in Nigeria, one can live in a bubble, but how he connects to it is very important.
“This might be the only opportunity for people from the diaspora to connect with the real people. Let us connect with the real people because if you sit down in Victoria Island or Ikoyi and think that is Lagos, you will be getting it wrong,” he noted.
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