Makurdi Set To Host Joseph Ikyaator National Tennis Open

The Orseer Ikyaator Foundation has announced the upcoming Dr. Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open, a landmark event set to take place from 16th to 23rd December 2025 in Makurdi, Benue State. This year’s competition is poised to be a historic milestone for both Benue and Nigeria, elevating grassroots tennis development to national prominence.

Building on the success of the inaugural tournament, the 2025 edition will feature a National Ranking Tournament, sanctioned to showcase Nigeria’s highest-ranked professional players. This will mark the first time in Nigerian tennis history that Benue State hosts a nationally ranked competition, positioning Makurdi as a new hub for elite tennis in Nigeria.

For one week, Makurdi will transform into the National Tennis Capital of Nigeria, attracting top-ranked athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators from across the country. The tournament boasts a prize fund of Ten Million Naira (N10,000,000) and an additional Five Million Naira (N5,000,000) in scholarships dedicated to junior players and local grassroots tennis development programmes.

“The tournament is a gift to Benue, a platform for our youth, and a celebration of tennis excellence in Nigeria,” stated Orseer Ikyaator, Founder and President of the Orseer Ikyaator Foundation. “We are opening the doors of Benue tennis to the national level and making our state a focal point of tennis history this Christmas.”

The Dr. Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open aims to attract top tennis players from across Nigeria, promote talent beyond traditional strongholds, and establish Benue as a leading sports hub. The event is expected to stimulate sports tourism, economic activity, and festive excitement in Makurdi, as families, athletes, and spectators converge on the city during the Christmas season.

Named in honour of Dr. Joseph Ikyaator, a distinguished figure and pioneer, the tournament reflects his legacy of discipline, charity, leadership, and commitment to talent development.

The Orseer Ikyaator Foundation is a non-profit initiative dedicated to education, health, sports development, and community empowerment through strategic programmes that uplift youth and create lasting social impact in Nigeria. The foundation has spearheaded innovative sports initiatives across Benue, including the Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open, the renovation of community courts, school tennis outreach programmes, and various youth sporting events.