NTTF to leverage on existing template, says Tikon

Newly elected President of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Ishiaku Tikon has promised that the body will take advantage of the template set by his predecessor to attain great heights.

Tikon emerged the president of the NTTF by defeating Mr. Oluwole Olusola in 25 to 23 votes at the recent elections in Abuja supervised by the Sports Ministry.

Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, Tikon said he worked assiduously with his predecessor, Wahid Oshodi, to attain the enviable height the federation is in today.

“I jointly worked with Mr. Oshodi to bring the federation to where it is today. I gave him all the support that he needed because I saw his vision when he came in and he really made the difference. This was a federation that when he came on board, it was nothing to write home about.

“When Barrister Oshodi articulated his work plan on how he intended to take the federation forward, it was an idea I keyed into and I worked with him to the level he was able to take the federation to. Today, the federation is one of the performing ones in the country,” he said.

The Taraba State-born technocrat added: “Barrister Oshodi helped us in so many ways, including our ranking both in the continent and in the world … My vision is to continue from that level and take it to a greater height.

“We are also looking at working on our coaches to expose them to the latest techniques and skills so that they can build our players to international stars. We will also be looking at developing players from the grassroots. There are young hidden talents that we need to unearth, watch over before they can replace the ageing ones. My tenure is going to be an encompassing federation where we will work together as a team without neglecting anybody,” he stated.