Oyetola Commissions Michael & Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Hall In Osogbo

IKPO IGBINOBA in Osogbo 

Osogbo, the Osun State capital will be in a carnival mood on Saturday when the sports-loving governor, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola will formally declare open the Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Hall.

The ceremony which will attract the Who’s Who in Osun State and the big shots in the table tennis community will take place at the Osogbo City Stadium from 10. am.

Single-handedly constructed and equipped by the chairman of the Osun State Table Tennis Association, Mr. Ayo Alabi, the  Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Hall is a delight to behold.

All the facilities required in a top-notch table tennis hall are available in the first of its kind facility initiated and delivered by an individual in the country.

From the playing area which has the latest boards to the spectators’ gallery, conveniences(toilets and bathrooms), players’ changing rooms, store, and coaches’ offices, the edifice also has a transformer and two backup generators to guarantee round the clock power supply.

Mr. Alabi whose profile as a sports administrator has been on the ascendancy since his emergence as chairman of the Osun State Table Tennis Association two years ago said the Hall would not only boost the game of table tennis in the state but also reawaken a near-comatose Osogbo City Stadium.

According to him “The Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Hall will boost the sport in the state. However, the table tennis hall is part of a bigger vision which is to bring back the crowds to the Osogbo City Stadium complex. Within the mini complex,  there will be a Hall for indoor games like scrabble, chess, ayo, darts, monopoly, a floating swimming pool, a bar, viewing centre and a hostel for players”.

He explained “Once, all the sporting activities within the mini complex commence, we will have the crowds  in the stadium and this will create a new atmosphere within the Stadium complex”

In her reaction to the construction of the hall, the secretary of the Osun State Table Tennis Association, Mrs Amiola Bolaji said it was a dream come true.

“For a long time in Osun State, we have been praying to have an edifice like this. God has answered our prayers through our chairman, Mr. Ayo Alabi”, the secretary said.