From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Hosts of the Governor Douye Diri National Scrabble Championship have announced N5 million as the total prize money for the second edition of the competition.
According to the organisers, there is free registration for students while special prizes have been earmarked for females.
No fewer than 300 participants are expected at the Bayelsa State governor’s championship, which holds in Yenagoa, the state capital, from July 15 to 17.
The Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF)-sanctioned competition will feature five categories, namely Masters, Intermediate, Veterans, Opens and Students.
Chairman of the Bayelsa State Scrabble Association, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, who confirmed this during a radio programme in Yenagoa on Monday, said registration is free for Bayelsa-based secondary school students while the top female players in the different categories would get special prizes.
Alabrah explained that the target of the free registration is to encourage the young ones to develop an interest in the game in a bid to catch them young.
“Scrabble is a positive, transformative mind-builder that develops the intellect. If you are able to get the young ones to be interested in the game, this helps them grow intellectually and academically. We introduced this aspect last year and we are continuing it in this edition,” he said.
Alabrah, who is also the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, further stated that the winner of the Masters’ category will get half a million naira as the star prize.
He commended Governor Diri for supporting the game to grow in the state and in the country, stressing that the Scrabble community in Nigeria was appreciative of his huge contribution to the development of the game and the youths in particular.
Top-rated Oshevire Avwenagha won the Masters category of the inaugural edition while Eta Karo came second ahead of Okiemute Tegha.
In the Intermediate category, Raji Kazeem picked the top prize while homeboy, Tariye Alari, was the winner of the Opens event and Odion Osikada took the Veterans title.
Sixteen-year-old Ikoko David of Federal Government College, Odi, Bayelsa State, won in the Students category edging then nine-year-old prodigy and current Africa Under-10 chess champion, Deborah Quickpen, to the crown.