Dr. Samuel Adebola, a medical doctor from Ogun State, has emerged as the champion of the Masters’ category at the fifth edition of the Governor Douye Diri National Scrabble Championship held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He won the top prize of one million Naira and a trophy after beating over 200 top scrabble players from across the country.
Dr. Adebola, with a cumulative spread of +856, outplayed notable contestants, including Abdulmumin Jimoh and Chuks Nwaeze, who finished second and third, respectively. He clinched the win by playing strategic words like “Volubly,” “Claviger,” and “Averment.”
Other categories had the following winners: Veterans: Dokun Esan (+1180), Intermediate: Edowor Bobor (+710), Opens: Dorcas Innocent (+1046), and Students: Eddie Pereowei (+2060).
The President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation, Engineer Olobatoke Aka, thanked the Bayelsa State government for sponsoring the tournament for five years and appealed for increased funding to help Nigerian players excel in upcoming international championships. The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Scrabble Association, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, also praised Governor Diri for his annual support, urging corporate organizations to join in sponsoring the game.
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Governor Douye Diri, represented by the Commissioner for Sport Development, Dr. Daniel Igali, pledged to continue supporting scrabble in the state. Special prizes were also awarded to winners and players in the Women’s category.
