Enejo Abah ‘Why South Africa has overtaken Nigeria in badminton’

Could you briefly introduce yourself?My name is Enejo Abah. I hail from Kogi State. I am a national badminton player. I started representing Nigeria in 2005.Currently; I am ranked second in Nigeria and Africa.When did you start playing badminton?I started playing badminton in 2003, the year that Nigeria hosted the 8th All Africa Games in […]

Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Enejo Abah. I hail from Kogi State. I am a national badminton player. I started representing Nigeria in 2005.Currently; I am ranked second in Nigeria and Africa.
When did you start playing badminton?
I started playing badminton in 2003, the year that Nigeria hosted the 8th All Africa Games in Abuja. I grew up in Jos and the church that we attended, Our Family Worship, encouraged sporting activities. My mum used to play badminton. So as kids we used to watch them play but once in a while, we would take their racquets to go and play even when it was raining. I started doing that with my present doubles partner, Victor Makanju. So that was actually my first contact with badminton.
When did you realise you have the talent to excel in badminton?
There was nothing serious until after I completed my secondary education. When I was waiting for admission, I decided to play badminton. Our pastor then, Jerry Christian encouraged us to take part in sports. All the youths in the church were given opportunities to engage in different sporting activities. He arranged for coaches to come and help the kids develop their talents. Our badminton coach was Bature Alamba. He was and is still my coach. He picked interest in me and told me that I have talent in the game and he would want to train me. The coach spoke to my pastor and my parents and they gave their blessings.
At what stage did you make up your mind to become a professional badminton player?
That was also in 2003. Our pastor arranged for us to come to Abuja and watch the trials for the 2003 All Africa Games. When I came, I met some of Nigeria’s national players like Abass, Ocholi, Fagbemi, Sunday and even Jinkam. I made friends with them and it was so exciting. Then later in the year, we came back for the games proper. The new Abuja national stadium was so beautiful. I just felt I was somewhere in Europe or the United States of America. It was an amazing experience. There and then, I made up my mind to play the game at the highest level.
How many times have you represented Nigeria?
I have represented Nigeria so many times. I can’t remember all the championships in specific order but I started in 2005 when I went for junior championship in Ethiopia. I also attended the Youth Games I think in 2009. I also took part in Youth Commonwealth games. After that I started playing senior tournaments. I played in Commonwealth Games 2010, all Africa Games and so many other internationals like Scotland and Wales Internationals. I have also represented Africa twice in the World Championships. It’s a like World Cup in badminton.
Do you have laurels to show for the numerous tournaments you have attended?
I have been winning trophies. We just had the Lagos Badminton Classics which was an international event. I won gold medal in singles.
Can you recount your most memorable moment so far in badminton?
Let me start from the recent victory in this year’s Lagos Classics. It was a very big one for me because ever since I started playing badminton, South Africans have always dominated the mixed doubles. The mixed doubles is like the decider at championships and they are always winning us. Even in Botswana in April, we played the same pair and we lost almost woefully. But this time around, my doubles partner was not around and I did not go far in singles so I had a lot of energy. So I gave it my all. So I was happy that we won not just any other country but South Africa in the mixed doubles.
What would you say is your saddest moment for now?
When I was in school, I wasn’t training enough due to lack of time. So I went to play a tournament in Makurdi and I was dealt with by my opponent and friend, Otu. Although I was highly favoured to beat him, he dealt with me. He had been my nemesis sort of because he had beaten me thrice. In Makurdi, he sent me packing in the very first round.
In your assessment, which is the best badminton playing nation on the continent of Africa?
 We were the best on the continent but going by recent performance, it will not be wrong to say South Africa is in the lead. At the last All Africa Games, we had three gold medals and South Africa also had three gold medals. But in the last Africa Championship in Botswana in April, they got more gold medals than us. For now they are ahead of us but we have the potential to reclaim our position. South Africans are just taking over from us.
What would you say is responsible for the slip?
There are so many reasons but the number one is lack of tournaments. We don’t attend many international tournaments due to lack of sponsorship. It is therefore difficult for us to gather points that would improve our rankings. Apart from international tournaments, we hardly have even national championships for junior and senior players. Players keep training but there are usually no competitions for them to play. It is only when we play competitions that national team players are challenged to sit up.
You are one of the players that have signed a one year kitting contract with kit manufacturing company, Ashaway. How rewarding is the contract.
One of the most serious challenges badminton players face is equipment. So with this contract with Ashaway, I can confidently say I have enough kits and equipment that will last for a whole year. It is a good thing for Nigeria. At least with time we can get better deals. They can sponsor the whole national teams. And if things go well, they can also sponsor us to attend international tournaments.
From your wealth of experience in the game, how do you think the game can be propagated in the country?
In fact the big advice I want to give is that we should take badminton to secondary schools. I like what is happening in kwara State. Many of the secondary schools have access to the stadium in Ilorin. If you go there after school, you find so many secondary school kids playing badminton. There are courts for them and they are provided with racquets and shuttles. If the game is taken to secondary schools, kids at that age are very energetic and enthusiastic about sporting activities. At that stage, they can be groomed into great badminton players. So taking the game to the grassroot is very important. For long now, it has been left to sports councils to handle and they are not doing much in terms of discovering talents. Schools must be involved in the hunt for badminton talents.
What would you say you have gained by playing badminton?
I have gained a lot of international exposure. I have been to so many countries that ordinarily I might not have gone yet but I have been there. I have participated in many World events like Commonwealth Games, All Africa games and so many international tournaments. It is fulfilling. I think it also helped in my studies. From the little money I make, I was able to take care of myself in school. I am trusting God that with what I have now, I can further my education, even if it means studying abroad. In terms of money, it is not so much but it’s been okay in terms of paying my bills. So I have no regret playing badminton.