Atanda Musa, the acrobatic two-winged looper from Nigeria, is one of the most exciting table tennis players in Nigeria, Africa and the world. Unarguably, one of the best table tennis players ever, to come out of Africa!
Atanda Musa, aka Mansa Musa, spent 15 years on the Nigerian National Team, reach #20 in the world at his peak. He was 10-times African Men’s Singles Champion, and even won Singles & Doubles at the Commonwealth Games one year.
Musa led the Nigerian Skypower Team to victory several times at the U.S. Open Team Championships in the early 1980s. In 1985, he made the semifinals of the U.S. Open. But he loses to Cheng, who would go on to win the Open.
Musa is known to many for his spectacular backhand loop. However, it is his forehand that wins most of his points. He seemingly can run down any ball and either loop or lob it back. He also has a blocking game that surprises opponents who don’t think of him as a close-to-the-table blocker.
In 1992, Musa became a full-time coach in Saudi Arabia for three years. In 1995, he was hired to coach in Qatar at the Ali club. In 1997 he returned to Nigeria, where he continued to play and coach.
In 1999, Musa came to the U.S., at first to play in tournaments. He ended up staying, along with his family – a wife and three kids.
According to this sport icon, he said. “I don’t need to blame the athletes, the Nigerian government needed to have done more to encourage her athletes. “The Olympics is the highest sporting event. Unfortunately, most of them did not prepare adequately and that was the reason they could only bring home silver and three bronze medals,”
“Table tennis is falling short of expectation mainly because there are no longer reliable sponsors and the over-concentration of government on only football,” Musa lamented.
He went on to note that, in terms of high standards, the likes of Segun Toriola and Monday Merontoun, two of Nigeria’s best players, cannot be compared to the likes of his colleagues, Yomi Bankole and Abass Ekun — who were his greatest rivals during his heyday.
“During my time we had very good and special players, and even had consistent sponsors but things have changed a lot. “Nevertheless, we still have a couple of good players to cheer. Segun Toriola is doing very well, but he has not reached that high level I attained during my many years of glory,” he enthused, while suggesting that the key to the problem lies in the hands of government. “We have had different types of government, but I feel civilian governments don’t do enough to support sport in their programs.
They should endeavor to fund sports with more money. “I remember during the Shehu Shagari regime, footballers were awarded houses and cars, but I won the Commonwealth title and got nothing. I feel it still the same, and in a way that’s why some of us don’t feel like coming back yet,”
Mansa Musa retorted. The former player also gave an indication that he will like to come back soon to help in development of the game that brought him fame and fortune, but fears that the government is still too interested in football to the detriment of other sports. “I would like to come back home to help in the development of the game as am still very much involved in the sport.
I am currently a member of the London 2012 Olympics executive committee here, with a lot of programs planned for the coming days. We are training some US kids ahead of the next Olympics but my fear is that the government in Nigeria is only interested in football,” he disclosed.
Musa currently resides in New York City.
