Ebonyi born Enoch Nwali has emerged winner of the star prize of the 3rd edition of Bayelsa Gov. Douye Diri National Scrabble Championship.
The 26-year-old undergraduate of Health Education at the University of Lagos was overall best in the Masters’ Category with +705 cumulative spread points after winning 12 out of 15 games, clinching the top prize of N500,000 and a trophy.
Nwali, who is based in Lagos and became African Champion at the 14th Africa Scrabble Championship held in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2022, dethroned last year’s winner, Nsikak Etim, who won 11 games, topped with the premium word ‘Sonlier’.
Nwali said that he was excited even as he gets ready to do the nation proud at the 2023 World Scrabble Championship in Las Vegas, United States, later this year.
The Opens category was won by Ijegbulem Clement, who won 12 and lost 3 to amass a cumulative spread of +863, beating Nwaeze Chuks, to the N200,000 prize.
The Veterans category was won by Ojior Osikena, with a cumulative point spread of +524, edging Dokun Esan, and Azu Ogbogu, to the prize.
Also a senior secondary school 3 student of Federal Government College, Odi, Bayelsa, retained the title he won last year in the students’ event with a spread of +524 ahead of Edide Perowei and August Benharry to cart home N50,000 prize money.
Declaring the competition closed at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa, Diri reiterated the call for multinationals, international oil companies and the organized private sector to invest in sports development.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, he emphasized that by investing in sporting endeavors, IOCs and the corporate world would have contributed to the growth and development of society.
He stressed that sports was a veritable tool to positively channel the energies of the youths, thereby drastically reducing the rate of crime, social vices and other forms of violence.
The governor, who described sports as an integral part of the Prosperity Administration, said the present administration has made sports a major tool in positively engaging the youths and has put in place a robust reward system to motivate sportsmen and women to actualise their potential.
The Bayelsa Commissioner for Youth and Sport Development, Mr Daniel Igali, represented by the Director of Sports at the State Sports Council, Mr Braveman Wodi, said the continued hosting of the Diri National Scrabble Championship was indicative of the interest and love the governor and his deputy have for sports.
He stressed that players discovered from the competition would form the nucleus of Team Bayelsa to the National Youth Games coming up in September this year, describing Bayelsa as the hub of sports in the country.
President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation, Mr Olobatoke Aka, thanked Diri and Ewhrudjakpo for sponsoring the national championship for the third consecutive year.
He said the Diri National Scrabble Championship served as a training ground and preparation for Nigeria’s contingent to the World Scrabble Championship scheduled for Las Vegas, United States from July 22-26.
The Chairman of Bayelsa Scrabble Association, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said the competition has in the last three years attracted top players and personalities across the country to the state.
He stated that the success recorded so far underscored the attention the Diri-led administration has accorded to sports.
Alabrah, who is the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the National Championship has produced a new generation of scrabble players that would in few years time take the game by storm.
