Edo State names team for Asaph Zadok National Championship in Abuja

Edo is the third and latest state to name its team for the Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Festival scheduled to hold in Abuja on the 20th to the 22nd as well as the NSF Inter Club Championship which runs from the 24th to the 26th of March.

The Chairman of Edo State Scrabble Association (ESSA), who is also the Vice President of Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), Engineer Bright Idahosa made this known in an interview with your authoritative news platform.

The Edo State Scrabble team will be led by current and three times African bronze medalist Prince Omosefe and the most informed player of Match Day 1 and 2 of the 2023 MGI Elite Division 1 League, Tega Okiemute of Words Craft.

Current national number 15 player, Cyril Umebiye and two members of Team Nigeria to the African Scrabble Championship and the West African Championship, Bright Idahosa and George Ezinore as well as Oghomaria Umukoro and Samuel Eromosele are in the team.

Eromosele an excellent and experienced scrabble teacher and an instructor is the only intermediate player in the team heading to Abuja next weekend for the Asaph Zadok National Championship and the NSF Inter Club grand finale in the colors of the ‘Heart Beat of the Nation’ Edo State. .

Currently the NSF automated rating system has 89 players in its Masters category with Bukunmi Afolayan at number 83 with 1410 points, as the only female in the den.

This is the current rating of members of Team Edo with an overall average of 1514 points at number 35:

★ Prince Omosefe -8- with 1657 rating points

★ Tega Okiemute -10- with 1646 rating points

★ Cyril Umebiye -15- with 1592 rating points

★ George Ezinore -42- with 1501 rating points

★ Bright Idahosa -44- with 1495 rating points

★ Oghomaria Umukoro -56- with 1456 points

★ Samuel Eromosele -198- with 1253 points

In a bid to motivate the players, the Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC), Yussuf Alli, says they are fully behind Team Edo to the Scrabble Festival in Abuja.

Alli, a former African Long Jump record holder, stated that the State will continue to support the game of words so that it can reach its desired height in Nigeria and the world.

“Edo State is the traditional home of sports in Nigeria and we are a strong force in the game of scrabble, so sports is always a key tool in developing and empowering the youth population of the state.” The former Commonwealth Games gold medalist stressed.

Prince Omosefe, Tega Okiemute, Cyril Umebiye and George Ezinore are among the highly rated Nigerian players in the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA) and WESPA ratings.

Mrs. Chikere Sabina, the permanent secretary of Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC), urged the players to fly to the colors of the state with class, style and write their names and that of the state in gold in Abuja.

“The battle to wear the NSF Green Jacket on March 26th will be just too hot for any faint hearted in the nation’s capital.” The Chairman of Edo State Scrabble Association (ESSA), Bright Idahosa says.

Engineer Idahosa who has spent the last 25 years on the Scrabble board is confident that Team Edo that came fifth in the Scrabble event at the 2022 National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State will live up to its pre championship hype.

Idahosa who is also the Vice President of Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), said the Asaph Zadok National Championship and the NSF Inter Club grand finale’s top honors is their goal in Abuja.

“Look at our team, Prince Omosefe is a big tournament player any day, so is Tega Okiemute, Cyril Umebiye Ezinore George and the other members of the team.” The sports administrator and promoter said.

“As a Federation, our goal is to make scrabble a professional sport in Nigeria,” added Idahosa, a member of the all-conquering Team Nigeria squad to the African Scrabble Championship in Lusaka, Zambia.

The two Championships, the Annual General Meeting and the Awards and Gala Night of the Federation in Abuja is part of the program to end the 2022 NSF calendar of activities and usher in the 2023 season.

“I look forward to a time when scrabble will become a professional sport. School scrabble will develop in Edo, a thriving league, being sponsored by corporate bodies.” The Engineer and a businessman concluded.

All the events including the Gala Night, will hold at the exotic and classy Hotel de Bentley in Utako-district, in Abuja on the same date this month.

Asaph Zadok National Championship the first in the series of activities starts on Monday the 20th and ends 22nd. The NSF AGM has been fixed for the 23rd while the Inter Club Scrabble grand finale begins on the 24th and ends on the 26th.

The Gala Night which is aimed at rewarding and recognizing the very best behind the sweet story and journey into the world number one scrabble playing nation on planet earth comes up in the evening of Sunday March 26th at the magnificent banquet hall of Hotel de Bentley.

FC Couture has been selected to design and produce a customized Green Jacket for Asaph Zadok National Champion which will be presented on Sunday night during the Awards and Gala Night.

For your information, the ‘Malaysian Prince’ Eta Karo the winner of the first edition of the West African Scrabble Championship and current national number 7 player is the first Nigerian Scrabble player to wear the traditional NSF National Champion Green Jacket in 2005.

Each State of the Federation and FCT is expected to present six players and the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) will foot their accommodation and feeding bills.

Besides Edo, Lagos State and the FCT have also named their teams for the Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship while 12 clubs will fight for honors at the Inter Club grand finale.