By Maxwell Kumoye
The Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) is set to camp 48 players selected from the recent 8th National Youth Games (NYG), Asaba 2024.
The camping exercise will start on October 2, 2024.
The head coach of Nigeria Scrabble Youth Team, Samuel Eromosele, explained that the first phase of the camping programme which will be virtual will involve the top 20 players who distinguished themselves during the 8th National Youth Games and other youth members of Team Nigeria Scrabble.
The Twenty players invited to the National Youth Virtual Camp from the National Youth Games 2024 is led by triple gold medalist in the boys’ events Olamide Hassan Olojoku from Kwara State. Edide Pereowei and August Shannon of Bayelsa State as well as Saviour Onazi from Niger State also made the cut.
The poster girl of the scrabble event in Asaba, Victoria Chimamanda Chukwuemeka from Anambra, Sophia Ekeruche of Lagos and the Kwara duo of Hadiyah Olojoku and Balqis Ajao also made the list.
Players selected:
MALE
1. Olamide Hassan Olojoku
2. Bashit Ibrahim
3. Khalid Olosun
4. Pereowei Edidie
5. Shannon August
6. Saviour Onazi
7. Peace Adegunte
8. Adam Gbadebo
9. Samuel Emenike
FEMALE
1. Victoria Chimamanda Chukwuemeka
2. Sophia Ekeruche
3. Oluwaferanmi Dada
4. Balqis Ajao
5. Anjola Osoba
6. Aishat Sanusi
7. Beulah Bassey
8. Hadiyah Olojoku
9. Roselyn Emenike
10. Josephine Kene
11. Freda Konabiyovwi
Other youth players who are in the Youth National Team but were not part of the just concluded National Youth Games will also join the camping programme.
They are:
1. Sufyan Boluwatife
2. Prestige Archibong
3. Aliu Abdulqudus
4. Joy Nwabuzor
5. Clinton Imode
6. Kanyinsola Lasaki
7. Ese Ejenakevbe
8. Hauwa Abdullahi
9. Demilade Lawrence
10. Philip Akhabue
11. Joanna Eke
12. Michelle Ikekeregor
Eromosele stated that in the first three months the team will be trimmed to 24 and after that, there would be another two months of virtual camping.
“It’s from this 48 we will screen until we get the final 24 that will be the Official Team Nigeria Youth 2025. We want to have a solid 24-man list ready by the end of May when we will start applying for visas for both the African Youth Scrabble Championship and the World Youth Scrabble Championship,” Eromosele said.
Eromosele further emphasized that more players will be invited to the Camp in the coming days.
“In April we would be having the first National Youth Scrabble Championship and after that I’ll invite another set of players to take the camp size to 48,” the Edo State born coach and player added.
Two cities, Benin and Lagos are the front runners to host the maiden edition of the National Youth Scrabble Championship. “We are still looking at our options, Lagos and Benin are the likely hosts,” the head coach of the Nigeria Scrabble Youth Team stated.
Abdulqudus Olawale Aliu and Sufyan Boluwatife Olojoku who were sponsored by the Kwara State Government represented Nigeria at the 2024 World Youth Scrabble Championship in Sri Lanka.
Aliu finished in the 23rd spot while Olojoku occupied the 28th position among the 136 participants from 22 countries.
Both players could have finished higher on the final table had they not been walked over on the opening game of Match Day 2 due to administrative lapses as they arrived late for their games.
Due to inadequate funding and lack of support from the Federal Ministry of Sports, the players traveled to Sri Lanka without a coach, and they were psychological affected after they were walked over.