By ERNEST EKPENYONG (Daily Trust)
The nation’s capital of Abuja is set to host the prestigious Nigerian polo tour where two flagship polo grand slams have been lined up for the month of November.
First on the billed that would attract the polo world to the Nigerian capital city, Unity polo fiesta that has already built up, as the pristine 1212 Polo & Turf Club in Gwarinpa and its box office annual polo tournament are warming up for the big splash.
The 2015 inaugural edition pitted three high goal teams Kaduna Profile, Katsina Max Air, and Abuja Keffi Ponys that competed for the high stake President Cup at the epoch inauguration that heralded the commencement of business at the magnificent 1212 Polo & Turf Club.
The cup is aimed at celebrating the past and present presidents and Heads of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The 2015 edition of the President Cup was also aimed to creating awareness on the condition of the Internationally Displaced Persons from the North East.
The first of its kind in Nigeria’s capital, 1212 Polo & Turf was borne out of a desire to bring the beautiful game of Polo and the exhilaration of horse riding to thrill equestrian enthusiasts in the booming metropolis of the FCT, and aims to be the benchmark in Polo and Turf sports in the country.
Conceived in the mind of the club founders as a tribute to the establishment of Abuja as a capital city on 12th December 1991, the club took its name from the founding date.
They wanted 1212 to be synonymous with Abuja’s foundations as the greatest capital city in Africa, and for the club to stand alongside it as representing the strength, beauty and resourcefulness of the FCT.
Last year, over six medium goal teams loaded with some of the high flying patrons and skillful players are already in Abuja for the event’s most wanted polo prizes at 1212.
The teams included, Maurice Ekpenyong’sAlmat Group team, Bashir Dantata’sLintex, Bauchi State governor’s powered Bauchi MA, Yakubu Nakudu Farms polo from Kano and Sheyi Tinubu’s STL team from Lagos.
From the rolling hills of Gwarinpa, the serene high profile Asokoro is bracing for a huge in flock of tourists as the countdown of 2018 Abuja Carnival Polo Tournament dominate media headlines across the world.
The grand event that has continually drawn the biggest crowd to the nations’ capital city in recent years remains one of the major highlights of the prestigious Abuja Carnival,
Organized and hosted by Guards Polo Club in Asokoro, the annual is guaranteed to be a sale out, and as battle ready teams are already on ground to thrill polo enthusiasts in a bumper-to bumper display of skills.
Polo Royals authoritatively gathered that for the first time in its flourishing history, the Abuja Carnival Polo Tournament’2018 that will also witness the traditional Durbar display would feature teams from all the major polo clubs across the country in weeklong polo excitements.
Officials of the highbrow polo club who disclosed this exclusively to Polo Royals, said the glamorous event will light up the Federal Capital Territory as one of the major highlights of the 2018 Abuja Carnival.
Participating teams would vie for honours in four major cups categories that include the Low-Goal, the Intermediate, the medium-goal and the high-goal class. It was also gathered that a number of subsidiary prizes would be on offer for selected teams.
“We are also using this carnival polo tournament to let polo enthusiasts and the business community know that the Nigerian capital city has a facility like the Guard Polo Club that can comfortably host an international polo tournament of any magnitude,” he pointed out
Polo Royals checks further confirms that everything was on ground for a successful carnival tournament, added that the event enjoys the full support of the Federal Capital Territory and the Nigerian Tourism Board.
Expected to grace the grand polo fiesta is a long list of royal fathers to be led by the Sultan of Sokoto, President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President, Olusola Saraki, state governors, diplomats, and thousands of polo buffs.