IN THE GAMES GH 23: • Nigeria names two former African Champions in Scrabble team to Ghana ...Highest ranked female player Bukunmi Afolayan misses out

IN THE GAMES GH 23:

•  Nigeria names two former African Champions in Scrabble team to Ghana

...Highest ranked female player Bukunmi Afolayan misses out

By Maxwell Kumoye 

  

The Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), has named the country's team for the scrabble event at the 13th African Games scheduled to hold in three Ghanaian cities, Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi from the 8th to 23rd of March 2024.

Nigeria will be represented in the scrabble event at the Games by four male and four female players led by former World Champion, Wellington Jighere who also a two time African King.

At the last World English Scrabble Players Association Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada USA in 2023, Jighere finished as the highest ranked African at number four. 

Before the World Championship, the Delta State born scrabble heavyweight captured the prestigious North America Scrabble Players Association Championship top prize.

He also narrowly lost the final of the inaugural Pan African Scrabble Association PANASA President's Cup to Godwin Victor in Lagos, Nigeria last year.

Another talented player in Team Nigeria Scrabble squad to the African Games is former African Scrabble champion Nsikak Etim. Etim has won four major national championships between 2022 and 2023.

The list of Etim's victories Include:

✓ South South Open in Asaba, Delta State

✓ Governor Douye Diri National Championship in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State 

✓ Engineer Toke Aka Jubilee National Open in Abuja MGI Grand Slam, Lagos State 

Etim who sat at the number one spot on the NSF rating last year for over seven months was Nigeria's second best at the WESPA Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Nsikak Etim is one of the most consistent member of Scrabble Team Nigeria in the last ten years.

Abdulmumin Jimoh, a gold medalist at the National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State is another young and talented player that made the cut to Ghana.

Tega Okiemute of Word Craft Scrabble Club completes the list of male members of Team Nigeria.

Highly rated Africa's number one female player Tuoyo Mayuku leads the Nigerian scrabble amazons to the African Games.

Joy Ola, Adebisi Adekansi and multiple National Sports Festival gold medalist Akpos Best Malafakumo are the other female players selected by Nigeria Scrabble Federation for the Games.

The biggest name in the female scrabble firmament in Nigeria that is missing on the list is multiple National Sports Festival gold medalist and current national number one Bukunmi Afolayan.

Scrabble is one of the seven demonstration sports at the 2023 African Games.