Nigeria’s table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, has expressed frustration over the lack of support he has received from the federal government throughout his career, despite being one of the country’s most consistent international performers.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Aruna traced his journey over the past 15 years, revealing that private individuals and sponsors had been more instrumental to his growth than official government backing.
“15 years ago, I arrived in Portugal to play in the Portuguese Super League, and almost every weekend I played league matches for my club. Internationally, I was playing a minimum of one tournament in a month with the support of Barrister Wahid Enitan Oshodi… this financial support from him made me improve rapidly,” he wrote.
Aruna noted that he played most tournaments without a coach due to lack of funding from Nigeria. “With zero support from Nigeria government, I played 99% of the tournaments without a coach, and I travelled most of the time alone,” he lamented.
The world No. 19 recalled how Oshodi and former sponsors kept his career afloat. At the 2014 World Cup in Dusseldorf, his then sponsor, Joola, provided a German coach while Oshodi covered his travel expenses — support he said helped him reach the quarter-finals. He added that Oshodi also secured his only Nigerian sponsor, Babajebu, which proved vital in his 2016 Rio Olympics preparation.
Aruna criticised Nigeria’s limited contribution, saying: “If I feature in 12 tournaments in a year, Nigeria only pays for one tournament, mostly an African tournament, while the rest are self-sponsored or supported by my sponsor GEWO.”
On the 2025 World Championships in Doha, Aruna disclosed that he had to personally buy his flight ticket after the government failed to act on time. He recounted how Nigeria later stopped his coach, Dotun Omoniyi, from continuing with him due to lack of funds. He eventually paid a Togolese friend, Fanny, to coach him through the tournament, where he reached the round of 16.
The table tennis star called for urgent investment in grassroots talent. “It’s time, it’s very important Nigeria starts to invest in the present young players to attend tournaments regularly,” he urged.
Aruna, who has consistently ranked among the world’s top players, ended his post by appreciating those who have supported him over the years.
His remarks come on the heels of similar complaints by Nigerian athletes, including world record holder Favour Ofili, who recently switched allegiance to Turkey after accusing Nigerian sports authorities of negligence at major international competitions.
