2023 WASC gathers momentum as more countries arrive Nigeria ahead of opening ceremony

Posted : 22 November 2023

The Gambia and Ghana contingents are the latest arrivals in Nigeria ahead of the West African Scrabble Championship scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 23, in Lagos.

The Gambia and Ghana touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, South West, Nigeria, in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Ghanaian contingent, led by an Executive Committee member of the World English Scrabble Players Association (WESPA) who also doubles as the President of the Scrabble Association of Ghana, Haruna Adamu, moved straight to Novotel Hotel, Lekki, the venue of the championship.

Similarly, The Gambians, who landed in Lagos on the wings of Air Peace, are already acclimatizing to the weather and Nigeria's local dishes.

The Chairman of the Accommodation and Venue Sub-Committee of the Championship, Bright Idahosa, said Novotel Hotel, Lekki, was chosen because of its serene and luxurious setting coupled with its first-class services.

“We want our players and our visitors from the West Coast to feel at home and enjoy the very best of Nigerian hospitality while here. The hall for the competition is spacious and tournament-friendly," Idahosa said.

Members of Team Nigeria, camping at the Wood Peckers Garden in Yaba, will be moving into the championship hotel on Wednesday.

The much-anticipated West African Scrabble Championship (WASC) will begin on Thursday, Nov. 23, in Lagos, South West, Nigeria.

According to the Wood Peckers Garden Hotel manager, Mr. Abdul Fatai, he assured of offering quality service to the players ahead of the championship scheduled to start on Thursday, Nov. 23.

He hinted at the preparedness of the players, saying that since their arrival, the players have been in utmost readiness to give the topmost display for the board games.

Among the West African countries, the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) has named a 21-man strong team for the forthcoming West African Scrabble Championship (WASC).

The team list is headed by the winner of the PANASA President's Cup, Godwin Victor.

Others on the list include former World Champion and two-time African King, Wellington Jighere, who leads the list of the super heavyweight wordsmith in the 21-man contingent that also includes the current African Scrabble supremo Enoch Nwali.

Four other African Champions also made the roster: Nsikak Etim of Shell Scrabble Club of Port Harcourt, Moses Peter of Uyo SC, Rex Ogbakpa of Sapele SC, and two-time African King Dennis Ikekeregor also from Sapele SC.

The defending champion Eta Karo leads the three players from Warri Scrabble Club in Team Nigeria. Emmanuel Umujose and Godwin Victor are the other Warri Scrabble Club members representing Nigeria at the championship.

Team Nigeria is repleted with young and talented wordsmith Doko Oluwatimilehin, a final year pharmacy student at the University of Lagos and a key member of the all-conquering Hurricane SC. Doko narrowly missed the top prize at the end of the MGI Grand Slam tournament in Lagos last month.

$12,000 has been set aside as prize money for the individual and team events of the championship, and the prize money pool for the individual category is for the top ten and top three for the team event.

The Technical Director of the second edition of the West Africa Scrabble Championship (WASC), John Curtis, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Sub-Committee Technical and Tournament Logistics, says the West Africa Championship is a 28-game competition. One random, 22 lagged, and 5 king of the hill pairings.

Eta Karo of Nigeria is the defending champion in the individual category, while Nigeria holds the team event diadem won in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, last year.

2023 WASC gathers momentum as more countries arrive Nigeria ahead of opening ceremony

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