The glamorous Nigerian polo season would expectedly resume in earnest as preparations are being finalised for two international polo extravaganzas in Oyo State and Kaduna State respectively.
Oyo State’s capital city, Ibadan, will take the first slot as polo clubs across the country are buzzing and perfecting strategies ahead of the 2025 Ibadan International Polo Festival.
President of Ibadan Polo Club, Koyinsola Owoeye who confirmed that the polo fiesta revered for its exciting atmosphere and relaxed setting, is scheduled to gallop off in the third week of May.
“All the organizing committee are on ground and working around the clock to deliver on all fronts the required values to our esteemed traditional sponsors, partners, patrons, participating teams and thousands of enthusiasts who have over the decades made the Ibadan tournament a festival of choice,” Owoeye assured.
According to the Ibadan polo chieftain over twenty teams coming from Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos are expected to participate in the annual festival as the best players and patrons in the country set their sights on Ibadan in a fortnight.
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From the foremost Eleyele rolling fields in the ancient Oyo Kingdom, the national polo tour will move up north as the cosmopolitan city of Kaduna host the 2025 edition of Africa’s premium fund raising polo tournament, the Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament.
According to a release from the organizers, arrangements have been concluded for the prestigious event, as Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Resort flung its door open for the Children Day celebration on May 27 for its flagship annual tournament, the Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield tournament that would thrill till the first week of June.
The Charity Shield Polo Tournament that raises funds from sponsors, partners and well spirited members of the public in support of UNICEF campaigns in aid of the less privileged and vulnerable children in Kaduna State and its environs.
Last year, the prestigious Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield polo tourney climaxed in an exciting triumph for Fifth Chukker, Barbedos teams. The international polo fiesta was headlined by the inauguration of the Herbert Wigwe Cup and the commissioning of the school project by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani.
The facility not only provides for better learning and teaching but also extends the educational experience beyond the classroom walls to recreational entitlements.
A sports centre complete with basketball and tennis courts, a football field and an athletics track will make it one of the very well-appointed public primary schools in the country and represents a major step in mitigating the societal tragedy of the many unschooled children in Northern Nigeria.
Fifth Chukker’s partnership with Access Bank and UNICEF also addresses the needs of children right at home, helping parents and caregivers to earn a more secure living through soft finance, skills acquisition and procurement of business machines, transforming the socio economics of the rural areas.