The National Sports Commission (NSC) has thrown its weight behind teenage tennis sensation Khadijat Eleojo Mohammed to help her reach her full potential in the racket game.
The commission chairman, Malam Shehu Dikko, made the declaration when the teenage star athlete along with her father and coach, Mohammed Ohinoyi, a certified ITF coach and a former professional tennis player, visited him in his office at the Moshood Abiola National stadium.
At only 15, Khadijat has proven to be the next big thing in Nigerian tennis. She was the first West or Central African player to win the ITF J30 World Tour.
In 2023, at the age of 14, she became the first teenager to win the Dala Tennis, a title she retained this year. Way above her peers, she has even cracked it professionally with back-to-back Dala Hard Court titles.
Dikko, in a press statement issued yesterday by Mrs Ajayi Kehinde, director of information and public relations, said the commission will give the teen tennis star all the necessary encouragement and support in line with its catch-them-young disposition.
“I am quite impressed with what you have been able to do with your tennis career. No doubt you deserve all the encouragement and support that you can get.
“Even if you didn’t come here, I am sure we would have found you along the line. I will make sure we support and help you to be the best you can be.
“Obviously the potential is there. For you to be winning big tournaments professionally at such a young age, the future is very bright. We will support you so that you don’t fall by the wayside.
“This is in line with our grassroots program. We are embarking on a vigorous exercise to discover younger talents to take over from the older athletes.
“We are doing this across all sports. And here you are. Be rest assured that we will carry you on our wings,” Dikko said.
Dikko also revealed that the Commission will shortlist Khadijat for their adopt-an-athlete initiative.
“We have the adopt-an-athlete program, so we will see how we can put you on the platform where the companies we are dealing with can come to support you in addition to whatever support that we can give as commission under our grassroots policy. We will look at you and see how we make you part of our program.”
Dikko has set his sights on Khadijat doing exploits at the Olympics someday.”Tennis is also an Olympics sport. It is at this age that we can start nurturing the best tennis players to get us to the podium. With the right training, I believe that in two or three years, with the right roadmap you should be having a go at the Olympics and other top competitions and we see how we take it from there. So we need to get more details about her training and the plans,” he added.
While appealing for the Commission’s support, Ohinoyi said, “We as her parents have done our best, we can no longer take her beyond here. The remaining is in the hands of the National Sports Commission. That is why we are here. We have come because we don’t have the capacity to continue with her.”
Khadijat added, “If I am supported to get up there, I will also like to lift others and help them to make it in tennis. I want to be a source of inspiration to young tennis players in Nigeria.”
