Mrs. Tinubu Commits To Wheelchair Tourney
Former First Lady of Lagos State, Chief (Mrs.) Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated her commitment to take wheelchair tennis to higher heights in the country.
Mrs. Tinubu, whose New Era Foundation, has been the sole sponsor of the New Era National Wheelchair Tennis Championship, said her organisation is planning ahead of the 4th edition of the competition which will hold soon.
According to Mrs. Tinubu, who was honoured by the Nigerian government with the Officer of the Order of Niger, OON, last October, “the New Era Foundation is ready for the wheelchair championship this year. We are waiting for the board of the Nigeria Tennis Federation to pick a date for the competition and if this is done, we’ll roll out the programmes and packages for the 4th edition of the tournament,†she said.
“New Era Wheelchair Tennis Championship is a lofty project designed to discover talents among the physically challenged youths with the aim of encouraging them. I will continue to sponsor the tournament because I have love and passion for what I’m doing,†she said.
Meanwhile, President of Nigeria Tennis Federation, NTF, Engr. Sani Ndanusa, told Tennis Special that the board of the federation will meet to ratify its programmes for 2011. The New Era tourney is one of the tournaments on its calendar for the New Year.
“We are in touch with the sponsor, Mrs. Tinubu, who has done much for the game in the country. We thank her for her contribution and sponsorship. however, this year, we hope to organise a bigger tournament which will feature many players across the country. Plan is also underway to expand the participation to other countries in West Africa,†said Ndanusa, who is also the President of Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC.
Last year, Wasiu Yusuf was the hero of the 3rd New Era National Wheelchair Tennis Championship. He won the Men’s Singles for keep after defeating perennial rival Jude Uwaize in straight sets of 6-0, 6-4 and received the sum of N200, 000 star prize, while the runner up also went home with N150, 000.
The duo of Alex Adewale and Audu Mohamed, who lost out at the semi final stage were given N70, 000 each just as all the players that reached the last 16th of the competition were rewarded with cash awards.
In the female category, the defending champion, Oluwatosin Dawodu, lost to Remilekun Basanya in a game that ended 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. The winner also received N200, 000 for her effort while the runner up was given N150, 000.
A total of N1.9 million cash prizes were given out to all the deserved winners.
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