France denies Nigerian Scrabble team visas despite them being world champions

NIGERIA'S Scrabble team has been denied visas to participate on a championship due to take place in France by the French government despite being the number one ranking squad in the English-speaking world.

 

Nigeria triumphed at the World English Language Scrabble Players Association world championship in Australia in November 2015. At the moment, Team Nigeria ranks as the world’s top Anglophone Scrabble playing nation ahead of the US, who is in second place, with Wellington Jighere, 33, recognised as the world champion.

 

France's embassy in Nigeria had decided deny visas to the Nigerian team ahead of the 2016 MSI World Championships taking place in Lille. However, there are indications that this decision may be reversed after a flurry of diplomatic activities, putting pressure on the French authorities.

 

Jighere was crowned the world Scrabble champ last year in a gruelling 32-round competition in Australia. Up to 30 of the top 100 global Scrabble players are from Nigeria, which has the highest percentage of any country in the top 200.

 

Head coach Prince Anthony Ikolo, says Nigerians are passionate about Scrabble and the short word method gives them an edge. Prince Ikolo, who is also a university mathematician, came up with lists of five-letter words and distributed them to his players, including Jighere, to train them how to block the board.

 

He added that armed with these, the Nigerians could take on and beat competitors playing seven-eight or even nine-letter words. The other strategy was to gather his players at a hotel, before the tournament and have them play two days of non-stop Scrabble, which appeared to have worked.