By Francis Ajuonuma
After Day 4 of what has been described as classical display of skills and grit among the players in the badminton events of the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State tagged Gateway Games 2024, the President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih says the game is very much on the rise in the country.
Orbih, ever present at the Alake Sports Complex, where badminton took the centre stage told ThisNigeria in an interview that the high standard and competitive display by the players gives hope to the future of the sport in the country.
Orbih, who recently, was elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation. believes that with more national and international competitions Nigerian players can be world beaters.
He observed that the National Sports Festival offers the players the opportunity to test the quality they are made of.
“So far, so good. The games have started and everything is running smoothly. I see a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement here and there.
‘I feel good every time we have a championship like this, we always pray for an upset. Discover new talents, see good players come up.
“For me, it’s a good opportunity. It puts everybody on the edge and I can confidently say the game is growing well in the country but it could be better. I won’t lie to you. I can say that’s partly because, if you ask me personally, we are not having enough national championships. It’s something that we want to work on.
“The more competitions they have, the more opportunities for players to express themselves and possibly see how they can improve from where they are. And that’s an area where we are looking at,” he said
On how impressed he is with the organization of the Gateway Games and the facilities provided for badminton in particular Orbih responded thus: “The facilities are okay, because there are not too many in the country. But in everything, there’s always room for improvement. A lot more could have been done, but I won’t say that what has been done is enough.
On his expectations in the Badminton finals on Friday he added. “We hope it’s going to end on a very good note. We are going to have very good matches. (At the end of it all, we will have a good player emerge as champions of this sport.
He however beaconed on the corporate world for their continuous support in taking the game to the next level.
“It’s always important, as you said, for us to have more regular meets. Though everybody are saying the economy is tough. Everybody has one reason or the other. But we believe that, even in the midst of all of this, something can still be done. So that’s why we never stop appealing to the corporate world in Nigeria.
Reacting to the federation’s decision to organise a sort of get togather ceremony for retired badminton officials and players, held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at the Alake Sports, Orbih emphasized it was to appreciate their contribution in the growth of the sport in the country.
“We are supposed to learn to appreciate people when they are still alive. At some point, all of us were all going to go.
” It’s not when somebody has passed, then you start coming to talk about it. It was an opportunity for us to appreciate the contribution of these gentlemen and ladies, to the growth and development of badminton in Africa as a whole, not just our country. It was a good time, and I felt very proud of them.
“For me, such occasions also help to inspire those who are coming up to know that at some point, they will be able to dedicate themselves to as much as they can. They will also be appreciated.
Also reacting to his membership of the world body, Orbih expressed optimism that it puts Nigeria on the World stage.
“Well, it puts Nigeria on the World Stage and it puts us in the room.
“So we are going to be part of the conversations, we are going to be part of the policies being formulated, and part of the decisions being made that affect the game all over the world, not just in Nigeria.
“So, we are hoping that we will be able to make our own contributions to make an impact in the growth and development of badminton all over the world. Because, like I always tell people, now that I’m a World Council member, I’m not there representing Nigeria, I’m representing the whole world.
” If something good comes out of this current council, then it is good for everybody, particularly technical support, we are expecting that.
“How that comes is that I’m a member doesn’t mean that Nigeria will get any sort of pressure or treatment, but I can make use of my membership by networking, meeting other people who are in a position to see what they can do,” he concluded.
