Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) South West Zonal coordinator Emmanuel Egbele has called for more collaborations and support as the 2nd edition of the South-West Closed Scrabble Tournament holds this Saturday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The tournament which is strictly designed for participants in the zone had its first edition last year in Ibadan Oyo state where a new winner, Adeyemi Adeosun emerged even in the presence of more established players from the region.
Mr Egbele made the call in a statement to all stakeholders ahead of the event which will be the first tournament to take centre stage in the country after the World English Language Scrabble Players Association Championship (WESPAC) held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
He acknowledged the tacit backings provided for the maiden edition as he called on them to once again, rally round organisation of the one-day event especially as it is coming in the year preceding the 2024 National Sports Festival which incidentally would be hosted by the Ogun state.”
“For this year’s edition,” he said, “plans are at an advanced stage, however we need the support of all stakeholders in the region towards a successful event. I am therefore soliciting our financial support.”
“This is our Event and we must support it. We also have corporate sponsorship opportunities for businesses to be branded on our publicity materials where you would have special mentions and acknowledgment. We will also approach us individually for support. Please kindly support us despite the times notwithstanding the situation in the country. We want to deliver a stellar event and our collective effort is required in this regard. Also, we expect to have as many eligible players to participate.”
Mr Egbele further highlighted what makes this second edition unique. According to him, “This year’s edition is auspicious for two main reasons. Firstly,” he stated, “Ogun State will host the next National Sports Festival and we hope that this Tournament will serve as a preparation for the States contingent to test their crafts against the best in the Zone.”
Secondly, it will also let the State Government appreciate the game even better as we are planning to have the Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun or his representative declarelaring the event open.”
He further acknowledged “the strides made by the leadership of the Ogun State Scrabble Association (OSSA) led by Adekoyejo Adegbesan who also doubles as the PANASA honcho and made giant strides at both the continental, national and sub-national level. We have decided to rotate the hosting of the SWC among the states in the Zone. Ogun accepted to host by partnering with us in organizing this year’s Tournament. I am using this medium to call the Chairmen and Boards of the remaining states yet to bid for next year’s edition,”he concluded.