Obudike Gift Tochukwu
The South-West Zonal Coordinator of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) Emmanuel Egbele has given reasons behind the choice of Ibadan, Oyo state as the venue for the maiden South-West Closed Scrabble championship.
Since the tournament was announced last week, plenty of excitement has been generated from players and enthusiasts alike.
Interestingly, a few observers assumed the commercial centre, Lagos would have been the venue ahead of Ibadan.
Making clarification on the reasons Ibadan became the preferred choice, Egbele explained that it was only normal for the first South-West Closed championships to be held in the biggest city in West Africa which incidentally is the Zonal headquarters of the NSF.
During a brief chat with the media, he assured that subsequent editions would be hosted by different cities across the states as Ibadan was selected during to certain parameters.
“The city of Ibadan is our Zonal Headquarters so it is home for us. It is therefore fitting to go start from there and move to other states in subsequent editions.”
He further cited the rich historical background of Ibadan city as an opportunity for participants to explore for tourism.
Furthermore, he highlighted how central the city is for participants coming from other states to access logistically.
“We also know Ibadan is central for most of the South-West States. It is also an historic city that will provide some of us the opportunity to admire the sights and sound.”
The South-West Closed Scrabble Championship is slated for Jogor Hall this Saturday.
