By Dan Onwuegbuna
The 4th edition of the South-East Badminton Championship has begun at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu — but beyond the rallies and smashes, the tournament reflects the personal mission of one woman: former Olympian, Mrs. Obiageli Edoga Solaja.
Solaja, the South-East representative on the board of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), is the driving force behind the championship.
For her, the three-day event featuring players from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states is more than a competition; it is a deliberate effort to revive a sport she fears is fading in the region that once nurtured her.
A product of Queens School, Enugu — where she was discovered in Form 3 and began her rise to the national team — Solaja went on to represent Nigeria at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before retiring from competitive play. Returning home years later, she said she was shocked by what she found.
“By the time I came back, I discovered that badminton was almost dead in the South-East,” she told journalists. “Having achieved so much, I felt it was time to discover more Obys, more talents, and nurture already discovered talents.”
That realisation, she said, birthed her “pet project”: the South-East Badminton Championship. The goal is simple but ambitious — to expose, develop and elevate young badminton players across the region.
“We are starting the 4th edition of the South-East Badminton Championship in Enugu for the five South-East states from Thursday, 20th to Saturday, 22nd November, 2025,” she explained. “We have had three editions before — two in Enugu and one in Imo — and this one makes it the third in Enugu State.”
Solaja believes that without consistent competitions, budding talent will continue to wither. Her tournament therefore fills a gap she considers critical: regular, structured, competitive play for men, women and veterans.
The championship, holding at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, runs from November 20 to 22. But for Solaja, its impact is intended to last much longer — by rebuilding a badminton culture in the South-East and inspiring the next generation to follow the path she once walked.
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