Okoku Pays Tribute To Nigerian Table Tennis Legend ‘Obi’ Obisanya

Former Nigerian international footballer Paul Lucky Okoku has paid an emotional tribute to late Nigerian table tennis great Babatunde ‘Obi’ Obisanya, recalling the player’s brilliance, coaching contributions and lasting influence on generations of Nigerian players.

In a personal reflection on the sporting culture of Lagos during his youth, Okoku revisited memories of Obisanya at Rowe Park in Yaba and the National Stadium, where some of Nigeria’s finest table tennis players competed and trained.

Okoku, a former Super Eagles and Flying Eagles international, said coming across messages about Obisanya brought back memories of the man he and others simply called Obi.

‘For years, because everybody simply called him Obi, I actually thought he was Igbo. That was how natural the nickname had become to us. Nobody needed a long introduction. Obi was Obi,’ he wrote.

Growing up in Lagos, Okoku said football, table tennis and boxing were central to the neighbourhood’s sporting culture. Although he eventually chose football, he remained connected to the table tennis scene and its leading personalities.

He recalled supporting Sunday Eboh, another prominent player from his area, whenever he faced Obisanya, but acknowledged the latter’s exceptional ability.

‘But even when you were cheering against Obi, you could not fail to appreciate what you were watching. The man could play,’ Okoku wrote.

Obisanya won the inaugural Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship in Lagos in 1968 and went on to represent Nigeria internationally, establishing himself among the country’s leading players during a formative period for the sport.

However, Okoku’s tribute focused as much on Obisanya’s work as a coach as on his achievements at the table.

He recalled watching the former player train younger talents, including Olawunmi Majekodunmi, popularly known as Majek, who went on to become one of Nigeria’s outstanding female table tennis players.

For Okoku, Obisanya’s decision to remain involved in the sport and pass on his knowledge was a defining part of his legacy.

‘The player became the teacher,’ he wrote. ‘He did not simply collect his medals and disappear from the sport. He stayed. He coached. He developed players. He passed knowledge from one generation to another.’

Obisanya continued to contribute to grassroots table tennis development decades after his playing career. In August 2026, he was involved in the National U-15 Table Tennis Championships at the National Stadium in Lagos, helping sustain the development of young players.

Okoku described his career as one of service to Nigerian sport, first as a competitor and subsequently as a coach and mentor.

‘That is what I mean when I say Babatunde ‘Obi’ Obisanya served Nigeria twice, first with the racket, and then with the knowledge he passed to others,’ he wrote.

The former football international also reflected on what Obisanya represented to those who grew up watching Nigeria’s sporting pioneers.

‘Babatunde ‘Obi’ Obisanya did not merely play table tennis. He helped build a table-tennis tradition that outlived his own playing career,’ Okoku wrote.

Concluding his tribute, Okoku remembered the former national coach for the memories he created and the generations he influenced.

‘Farewell, Obi. Thank you for what you gave Nigerian sport. Thank you for the memories. May the soul of Babatunde ‘Obi’ Obisanya rest in perfect peace.’