By Ado Salisu
Nigeria’s young Scrabble players have recorded an impressive performance at the World Youth Scrabble Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, with significant support from the Kwara State Government under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Team Nigeria secured several individual honours and finished as the second-best country at the championship, which featured 134 young players from around the world competing in 24 gruelling rounds over three days.
Sophia Ekeruche successfully defended the Best Female Player title she won in Malaysia last year, further underlining her growing dominance in youth Scrabble.
Yusuf Abdulsalam emerged champion in the Under-8 category and was also named Best Kid of the Tournament.
Salvation Onazi finished second runner-up in the Under-10 category, while Saviour Onazi secured third place in the Under-12 category.
In the Under-16 category, Olamide Hassan finished second runner-up and also placed 10th overall.
The impressive performances earned Nigeria the Second Best Country Prize at the championship.
The achievement was made possible in part by sustained support from the Kwara State Government, which has backed Nigerian Scrabble for about six years under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
For the Nairobi championship, the Kwara State Government funded the travel of four players and two officials, helping Nigeria avoid missing another major international youth competition.
The Bayelsa and Niger State Governments also contributed to the team’s participation.
The Nigerian contingent was guided by coach Hassan Olojoku Abdulrafiu.
The success in Nairobi provides a welcome bright spot for Nigerian sports at a time when some of the country’s prominent national teams have struggled on the international stage.
D’Tigress suffered their second defeat to China while preparing for the World Cup in Germany, while the Junior D’Tigers recorded their third defeat at the FIBA U-18 Boys AfroBasket in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The Super Falcons were also eliminated from the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations following a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon.
Similarly, the Flying Eagles suffered a heavy defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the WAFU B U-20 AFCON qualifying tournament, ruling Nigeria out of both the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Against this backdrop, Nigeria’s young Scrabble players have emerged as a major source of pride, returning from Nairobi with multiple individual awards and a second-place finish for the country.
Their performance also highlights the importance of sustained investment in youth sports and the role of state governments and other stakeholders in creating opportunities for Nigeria’s young talents to compete and excel on the international stage.
