By Tayo Ogunseye
President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), Bright Idahosa, has expressed confidence in the country’s quest to win a record-extending 15th title at the 16th Africa Scrabble Championship, scheduled to hold in Monrovia, Liberia, from October 22 to 25.
About 24 countries are expected to converge on the Liberian capital at the Sir Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex for the biennial championship, where players will compete for the individual title, while the Best-Playing Country award will also be at stake.
Nigeria, the defending champion in both categories, will be seeking to maintain it’s dominance after Oluwatimilehin Doko emerged as the highest-ranked player to win the title at the previous edition held in Kigali, Rwanda, two years ago.
The country has established itself as the continent’s dominant force in the word-and-number game, winning 14 of the 15 editions of the championship and losing the title only once to South Africa.
Idahosa who is buoyed by the country’s recent performances on the international stage, believes the team has what it takes to sustain it’s impressive record and return home with the titles.
“We are currently at the best level. We just need to sustain the level we are in because Nigeria is the best-playing nation in the world” he emphasised.
“Speaking internationally, we have won 14 out of the 15 championships in Africa. We are looking for the 16th one, praying that we also win again. So, Nigeria is not doing badly in scrabble at all,” Idahosa said.
The NSF president’s optimism comes as the Nigerian contingent intensifies preparations for the continental showpiece.
The players are currently in a closed training camp in Umuahia, Abia State, where they are fine-tuning their strategies and sharpening their skills ahead of the championship.
With the competition expected to attract some of Africa’s finest scrabble players, Nigeria will be aiming to reaffirm its continental supremacy by retaining the individual and Best-Playing Country titles in Monrovia.
