By Maxwell Kumoye
Team Nigeria is edging closer to claiming its second Pan African Youth Scrabble Championships title, maintaining an impressive performance on Day 2 of the tournament in Kenya.
With talented players showcasing their skills, Nigeria’s team is determined to dominate the competition.
Abdulqudus Aliu is leading the U-19 category with 13 wins from 14 games while another Nigerian Prestige Archibong and Kenya’s Olive Alila are on 11 wins each but Archibong has a better cumulative point than the Kenyan.
Abdulqudus Aliu’s only defeat in the competition came in round six in the Ghana – Nigeria jollof series that went the way of Ghana’s Aquila Delali with a 90 points winning margin of 455-365.
Sufyan Olojoku and Joy Nwabuzor have recorded 10 victories each, captain Sufyan Olojoku is occupying the fourth spot with 2003 cumulative points while Joy Nwabuzor has 904 points from the same number of wins.
Ghana’s Aquila Delali and Kenya’s trio of Ryan Omondi, Israel Otieno and Valerie Wanyra are within touching distance from the pacemakers. They all have 9 wins from 14 games.
The star girl from the City of Aquatic Splendor – Sophia Ekeruche is in a class of her own in the U-15 category. She is yet to drop a game after 10 rounds with 2166 cumulative points.
The Kwara State government backed Hassan Olojoku is on 9 wins and 1348 points. Nigeria’s Abidah Fatai and three other Kenyans are pushing hard for a place on the podium with 8 wins each.
Eliana Igbe and Aneef Kelani have not lost their steam either as they are within touching distance.
The Team event in both categories is a straight battle between host Kenya and Nigeria that is a mile ahead while either of Ghana and Uganda will have to settle for a third place finish.
