The need for government and stakeholders in Nigeria’s Sports Industry to reinvigorate all forms of sporting activity has been described as pivotal to the growth of the sports sector.
Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, in Ogbomoso zone of Oyo State, Oba Francis Olusola Alao, stated this at the grand finale of the Ibadan International Polo Tournament, held on Sunday, 15th June 2025, at the Ibadan Polo Club, Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Oba Francis Olusola Alao decried the unimpressive spate of sports in Nigeria, saying the performance of the country in global sports had dropped, compared with the glorious years of sports, where Kanu Nwankwo, J.J. Okocha and the likes took the centre stage.
The Olugbon of Orile-Igbon who is also the Deputy Chairman, Oyo State Council of Obas, said “we need to take cognizance of our population. Our population is high. Games like badminton, hockey are not in the line again in this country. Polo should be a game that we should be well known for”.
Speaking on the need for government intervention in sports, especially Polo, the President, Ibadan Polo Club, Abimbola Adeyemi, reiterated the fact that the game of Polo is still growing, “we are not yet there, but we are fast getting there, we are having high goal players now, the horses that are coming into Nigeria are spectacular, so yes the game of Polo is fast rising in Nigeria and we are getting there”, he said.
The Director, NASCO, Samy Nasrewddin, described the Ibadan Tournament as excellent. “We came with our team all the way from Jos – Red Crown Polo, representing NASCO in Jos as well as Shower to Shower roll-on deodorant, and we are happy with the tournament organization. We are also happy that we have come out at the top of our league and we are taking the cup back home to Jos”.
Giving his opinion on the growth of Polo in Nigeria, Nasrewddin emphasized the fact that Polo is on the upswing, saying “it used to be a limited game, mostly armed forces, high elites and so on. However slowly, using our team as example, we bring up junior boys and girls to learn the game, because we find that the key thing is discipline. If you learn the discipline embedded in Polo, it goes a long way in developing you as an individual”.
Also, the President, Port Harcourt Polo Club Henry Agbodjan, appreciated the organizers of the Ibadan Polo Tournament for staging an excellent outing. He said the game of Polo will continue to grow in the country and with the right resources, the desired height would be attained.
A prominent member of Ibadan Polo Club, Dimeji Sonowo, stressed the fact that the passion for Polo is well known in Ibadan. “The reason for the Nigeria Polo Association – NPA competition, is to bring everyone together. We have team Lagos, our colleagues from the North, they’ve brought in their best hands to come play in Ibadan and I would say it is a fantastic opportunity for Ibadan to be showcased in terms of hospitality and culture of the people”, he said.
Regarding the development of Polo, Sonowo made it known that the game is getting the awareness it desires from every single team, saying the entire NPA has been up in the game of Polo, and the populace is adopting the game of Polo. “Polo is being opened up to everybody and I like the fact that academies are being created to young riders to participate in Polo and for that, Polo is having a bright future in Nigeria”, he said.
One of the sponsors of the tournament, Risevest, an investment and financial institution in Lagos, Nigeria, represented by the Business Development Lead, Samuel Egbemide, said Risevest is a formidable partner in the development of Polo and community service, “so supporting the Ibadan Polo Tournament is an opportunity to introduce the service to more people, especially Ibadan residents”.
Similarly, one of the riders of BUA MSR Polo Team, Munir Mohammed, lauded the efforts of the organizers of the tournament and called for more to be done by the government to create better awareness about the game of Polo.
On her part, MD/CEO, Vintage 93.7FM, Alhaja Afeesat Abiola Ibrahim Adedoja, appreciated the members, board of trustees and executives of Ibadan Polo Club for organizing a tournament, that successfully brought Nigerians together in an atmosphere of sportsmanship, peace and tranquility.
The seven-day Ibadan 2025 Polo Tournament which ended on Sunday 15th June, 2025, was sponsored and supported by leading companies such as BUA Foods PLC, NASCO, Risevest, Vintage 93.7FM and a host of others.
