We are fully ready for West Africa Scrabble Championships, says NSF President

Posted : 23 November 2023

All is now set for the second edition of the West Africa Scrabble Championship (WASC) scheduled for November 23 at the luxurious Novotel Hotels in Lekki, Lagos, South-West Nigeria. The President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), High Chief Engineer Toke Aka, states that the country is well-prepared to host the West African sub-region and defend the crown they won a year ago in Accra, Ghana.

Engineer Toke Aka made this statement during an interview, asserting that "Team Nigeria is well-prepared, and I can't say our preparation could be better."

When asked about Team Nigeria's chances at the three-day championship, Engineer Toke Aka, who also serves as an Executive Board Member of the World English Scrabble Players Association (WESPA), noted that everything was not as it seems on paper. Still, he expressed confidence that Team Nigeria would give a good account of themselves and make the nation proud.

"In Scrabble, anything can happen. On paper, we have a hundred percent chance of winning. But there are some upcoming scrabblers from Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone from all the countries in attendance, and they have been preparing for the regional tournament," Aka, the Hydro Engineer, said.

The passionate scrabble enthusiast and administrator emphasized the fact that the tides can turn at any given point in time, and complete focus is essential.

"Every game of scrabble is as important as the next, and until the last two or three games, every game is vital."

The cricketer-turned-scrabbler added, “I'm sure that Nigeria's squad, consisting of defending Champion Eta Paul Karo, UNILAG 400 level Pharmacy student Oluwatimilehin Doko, Current African King Enoch Tochukwu Nwali, and former world champion and North America Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) winner, Wellington Jighere, accompanied by a host of carefully selected top Nigerian wordsmiths, will definitely shine at the captivating environment of Novotel Hotels Lagos.”

The Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) has named a 21-man strong team for the much-anticipated West African Scrabble Championship (WASC), including the winner of the maiden edition of the PANASA President's Cup, Godwin Victor.

Others in the fire-proof list of super heavyweight wordsmiths are four other African Champions: Nsikak Etim of Shell Scrabble Club of Port Harcourt, Moses Peter of Uyo SC, Rex Ogbakpa of Sapele SC, Emmanuel Umujose, Godwin Victor, and reigning champion Eta Karo, who are the three players from Warri Scrabble Club in Team Nigeria.

Team Nigeria comprises young and talented wordsmith Doko Oluwatimilehin, a final year pharmacy student of 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.

Members of Team Nigeria, who have been camping at the Wood Peckers Garden in Yaba, moved into the championship hotel on Wednesday.

John Curtis, who doubles as the Chairman of the Sub-Committee Technical and Tournament Logistics, says the West Africa Championship is a 28-games competition, with 1 random, 22 lagged, and 5 king of the hill pairings. Ten games are scheduled for day one and two, with 8 games to be played on the final day of the championship.

Day one will certainly bring some exciting encounters with 10 rounds of games scheduled for the day, and the tournament director Kaheel Adedeji, who is very experienced with TSH, the Software to be used during the championship. Adedeji's hands are saddled with the weighty task of setting and dictating the pace at the scrabble feast.

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

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

We are fully ready for West Africa Scrabble Championships, says NSF President

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