Nigeria’s Green Jacket holder, Oghenekaro Eta joins the big players for Engineer Toke Aka Jubilee National Championship

By Maxwell Kumoye
One of the most consistent, gifted, talented and experienced scrabble player in Nigeria in the last two decades, Oghenekaro Paul Eta has joined the growing list of top players that have registered for the maiden edition of Engineer Toke Aka Jubilee National Championship holding in Abuja.

Oghenekaro Paul Eta, the first winner of the NSF Green Jacket and the current holder of the the Jacket is the latest big gun to place his tiles on rack in search of those big bangers on the board at Hotel de Bentley in Utako-district, Abuja this Saturday.

The city of Abuja has been a good hurting ground for the player fondly called the Malaysian Prince who is from Delta State, South South of Nigeria.

In May last year in Abuja, Oghenekaro Paul Eta, who is an accountant, comfortably secured his place in Team Nigeria squad to the West African Scrabble Championship which he eventually won in Accra, Ghana.

The Federal Capital Territory, is where Eta punched his ticket to the 14th African Scrabble Championship where he was among the top ten best players in the continent in October 2022.

That is not all, Oghenekaro Paul Eta who spend over 170 days on top of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) rating in the just concluded season also won a nail bitting final of the Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship in Abuja at the expense of Enoch Tochukwu Nwali.

This sweet romantic relationship between Eta and Scrabble trophies in Abuja is likely to continue with the Engineer Toke Aka Jubilee National Championship.

To return to the Big Heart State with the top prize at the end of the 12 rounds of games on Saturday, at Engineer Toke Aka Jubilee National Championship, the Malaysian Prince will have to swim pass a host of scrabble lions, tigers, wolves and much more.

Current National number one and former African Champion, Nsikak Etim is likely to be in Abuja to fight for the quarter of a million naira top prize in the Masters category. Already, the Champion of Champions Olatunde Oduwole is in Abuja for the grueling battle of word power.

Three time African Scrabble Championship bronze medalist, Prince Osahon Omosefe, Jimoh Andulmumin, Emmanuel Ofidi, Umukoro Oghomaria, Ben Quicken, Christopher Nnamani, Curtis John and Chukwudi Ehibudu have all registered for the Championship.

Emmanuel Umojose is another heavyweight that will light up Hotel de Bentley alongside Hakeem Olaribigbe, Bright Idahosa, Anthony Ikolo, John Curtis and Chukwudi Ehibudu.

The one day National Championship is a 12 rounds of games event, 1 random, 8 lagged and 3 King of the hill pairings with each player having 20 minutes per game and the 2021 Collins Scrabble Words dictionary will be the reference material.

To compete in the Masters event, a player must have 1,300 and above rating catchment points. The Intermediate rating catchment is 1,299 rating points and below.

On the other hand, the Veterans event has no rating catchment requirement.

The Masters event participants will pay 8,000 naira only while players wishing to battle for honours in the Intermediate and Veterans categories are expected to register with 6,000 naira each.

Registration for the Jubilee Mini Retreat which attracts a token fee of 3,000 naira closed on Thursday. For players seeking to be part of the Engineer Toke Aka Jubilee National Championship, registration closes midnight today.

The Jubilee Mini Retreat which is the first of four events line up to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) President Engineer Toke Aka’s holds today at the Zalika Garden the home of scrabble in Nigeria, Abuja.

The Inter denominational service and dinner comes up, on the 16th at the Hotel de Bentley in Utako-district, Abuja and the Jubilee National Championship and poolside party has been fixed for the 17th at Hotel de Bentley.