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Undeniably, the profile of the Jos Annual Polo Tournament has witnessed a tremendous growth, especially in the last 10 years. Specifically, the direct intervention in 1994 of the Late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina, then Life Chairman of the Nigerian Polo Association (NPA), attracted for Jos Polo Club some unprecedented levels of sponsorship support from novel sources across the country.

I recall that as Tournament Manager in 1994, the Gen. Hassan touch secured sponsorship for Jos Polo Club from NEPA. Suffice it to say that the quantum of sponsorship did contribute in no small measure to raise the profile of the tournament, whilst strengthening its enviable position as one of the then three Grade ‘A’ polo tournaments within the NPA calendar in Nigeria.

In the intervening years, tournament organisers within Jos Polo Club took conscious steps to situate (and market) the annual polo tournament to sponsors, riding on the now famous mantra, that the event is (arguably) the single, biggest tourist attraction to Jos, the Plateau State capital, annually. The strategic shift in focus of the importance and relevance of the Jos Polo Tournament within the ambit of the nascent tourism market in Plateau State paid off in no time.

By 2000, ongoing discussions with oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC), bore fruit when they made a modest contribution to that year’s tournament. By 2001, SPDC felt sufficiently propelled to up its corporate social responsibility commitments to sports development, and it became the Main Sponsor of the Jos Annual Tournament, which relationship endures till date.

Another major entrant is telecommunication giant, MTN Nigeria Limited, who in 2002, signed a three- year contract to become Major Sponsor of the Jos tourney. Both parties are appraising the contract, which came to a successful end in 2004, and it is hoped that a fresh relationship can come into being, with added value to the MTN brand.

It must be stated that the consistent, unyielding traditional support of manufacturing giant, Nasco Group Nigeria, to the Jos Polo Tournament remains unequalled. Nasco Group has sponsored the Nasco Cup for well over two decades now, and this attitude has some what lessened the challenges, because each year, the organisers go into tournament preparation gear, fully conscious and assured of the quality life-line from Nasco Group.

The ultimate challenge currently, is to sustain the timely intervention of traditional sponsors such as the Dangote Group, Imani & Sons Limited and Mia Hotels Limited in their support of the Jos tournament. Interestingly, these sponsors are powered by some of the most visible names in polo in Nigeria, who continually display uncommon devotion to the cause and game of polo at home and abroad.

It is anticipated that their individual and collective support-base for the Jos Polo Tournament would be raised to meet the ever-increasing challenge of putting together this event in December each year, itself, a leading and must-go feature for polo players in the NPA calendar. Yet another challenge that the organisers must move quickly to deal with is the obvious need to awaken the interest (and consequently secure the attendance) of some of the leading polo players, who have in the stopped, playing in Jos for reasons yet unknown.

There is no doubt that the quality and profile of the tournament would receive a major boost if names such as Alhaji Sani Dangote, Dapo Ojora, Dawule Baba, Adamu Attah, Babangida Hassan, Sayyu Dantata, Mohammed Babangida, and many others who space will not allow us to mention here, compete in the Jos Polo Tournament. Whatever their previous misgivings, the challenge is to start now to assure them that playing in the Jos Polo Tournament is respected and appreciated. By and large, the task of repositioning the Jos Polo Tournament, so that the game of Polo will thrive as a major priority in line with the dreams of its founding fathers, is upon the shoulders of all the members of the club.