By Staff Reporter
About 300 scrabble players from Nigeria and other West African countries are expected to compete at the sixth Governor Douye Diri National Scrabble Classic in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The World English Language Scrabble Players Association and Pan African Scrabble Association-sanctioned tournament, regarded as the biggest on the Nigeria Scrabble Federation calendar, will take place on August 1 and 2.
The opening games will be held at Matho Crystal Hotel, Imiringi Road, Yenagoa, while the final games and closing ceremony will take place at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa.Governor Diri, the Special Guest of Honour, is expected to attend the closing ceremony alongside members of the State Executive Council.
Chairman of the Bayelsa State Scrabble Association, Daniel Alabrah, said the governor had increased the total prize money across the five categories to about N20 million.In a statement on Saturday, Alabrah said the prize for the Masters category winner had risen from N1 million in 2025 to N2 million.
He said Diri’s sponsorship of the competition over the past five years had increased awareness of scrabble and encouraged greater youth participation. President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation, Bright Idahosa, commended the governor’s support, describing the competition as one of the federation’s most anticipated tournaments.
