Scrabble: Sports Minister Congratulates New African Champion, Nwali

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has congratulated Enoch Nwali for winning the 14th edition of the African Scrabble Championship (ASC) which was concluded during the week in Lusaka, Zambia.

In a statement released by his office in Abuja, the Minister also congratulated Adekoyejo Adegbesan who was elected as the President of the Pan Africa Scrabble Association (PANASA) after he defeated the incumbent Muhamed Kamara.

Nwali, who won the title for the first time, defeated his closest rival and compatriot Wellington Jighere in a tightly contested round 31.

A third-year undergraduate of Health Education at the University of Lagos, Nwali won 25.5 games with a cumulative score of 2023 to finish in the first position ahead of former World Champion Jighere and two-time African Champion Prince Omosefe.

In the statement, the Minister praised the two men for doing Nigeria proud on the African continent in the mind games category. He reiterated his commitment to supporting the Nigeria Scrabble Federation to take the sport to greater heights.

“It is so reassuring to see younger Nigerians participating and excelling at this game,” the statement reads. “If we can get the proper investment and focus, Nigeria can dominate this game for the next 20 years.

“On our part, we will continue to provide the support we can. Mind games are great for the intellectual growth of our youth and we will give it the very best we can.