A Passion For Games

A Passion for Games

With a large population, poverty, corruption, and sectarian conflicts, Nigerians have a figured a way to deal with their woes: board games.

In fact, the national past time is also a competitive sport, with the country boasting more top 100 players than any other nation, and winning the Scrabble world championship in Nairobi, the Economist reported.

It is uncertain how many Nigerians play, but according to the coach of Nigeria’s national Scrabble team, there are roughly 4,000 Scrabblers in more than 100 clubs around the country, compared to about 2,500 in 152 clubs in North America.

However, national tournaments with prizes up to $10,000, also involve other board games such as Monopoly and chess.

The capital Lagos even has its own Monopoly board.

Some say Nigeria’s passion for games underscores the county’s unofficial motto: “Nigerians strive to finish first.”