Team Nigeria dominant on opening day of African Youth Scrabble Championships

Team Nigeria is dictating the pace at the second edition of the Pan African Youth Scrabble Championships which started Thursday in Kenya with 138 players competing for honours in two categories.

Abdulqudus Aliu, is leading the cast of 54 players in the U-19 category with 5 wins from five games and a healthy cumulative point of plus 915. Another Nigerian, Prestige Archibong is one win away from Abdulqudus Aliu, however, Archibong has a massive cumulative point of 1244 points from 4 wins.

Home boy, Caxton Mwai, has 521 cumulative points from 5 Victories to seat behind Abdulqudus Aliu.

Joy Nwabuzor, the only Nigerian girl in the U-19 category is giving the other gender a run for their stay , with 4 wins and plus 546 points. Team captain Sufyan Olojoku is not far off the leader board with 3 wins.

In the U-15 event, Hassan from the Olojoku scrabble dynasty, Sophia Ekeruche and Eliana Igbe are just too strong for the 84 man field in the competition as they won their first 3 rounds of games with an impressive cumulative of plus 687 points for Hassan Olojoku and Sophia Ekeruche while Eliana Igbe 43 points less.

Meanwhile, two more players Aneef Kelani and Abidah Fatai have been added to the Team Nigeria Eaglets at the Championships. Both players are giving a good account of themselves in the U-15 category.

Fatai Abidah was born in Lagos while Aneef Kelani was born in New York and they’re both students of Heritage Global Academy, Ikorodu, Lagos.

Their voyage into the mind sport has been aided by their very supportive family and one of Africa and Nigeria’s finest Tournament Directors, Khaleel Adedeji, who has been guiding them in the game of scrabble.

The President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), Engineer Olobatoke Aka, had some pleasant words for the Kwara State government for supporting three members of Team Nigeria as well as an accompanying official to the championship.

“We are elated that the Kwara State government is always willing to support scrabble and we are equally happy that the chairman of Lagos State Scrabble and Monopoly Association, Engineer Dipo Akanbi is also backing us.”

The PANASA President’s Cup also started on Thursday in Kenya with about 20 Nigerians participating in the second biggest competition in Africa.