10-Year-Old Emerges Champion at 2025 Winifred Awosika Scrabble Tournament

A 10-year-old pupil from Akingbogboade Nursery and Primary School in Abeokuta, Adam Gbadebo, claimed top honours at the 2025 edition of the Winifred Awosika Foundation Scrabble Tournament for Schools, held on Friday.

Gbadebo delivered a flawless performance, winning all five rounds with an impressive cumulative spread of +682 to secure first place in the highly competitive event.

Chrisland School’s Esther Yukusi from the FESTAC campus finished second, also winning five games but with a spread of +258. Her schoolmate, Ebube Maduegbuna from the VGC branch, came third with five wins and a spread of +99.

Reflecting on his victory, Gbadebo credited his success to dedicated support from his father and coach. “I’m very excited. I started playing scrabble at the age of eight. My dad introduced me to the game. We prepared intensively for two weeks, and I’ve been learning at least 20 new words every day. This is the first tournament I’ve ever won,” he said.

Launched in 2011, the Winifred Awosika Foundation Scrabble Tournament was established to strengthen students’ vocabulary, numeracy, logic, and creative thinking through engaging and intellectually stimulating activities.

Speaking at the event, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, praised the organisers and reaffirmed the government’s support for such initiatives. “To many, this might just be a scrabble tournament, but it’s far more than that. It’s about shaping young minds. If we want a better Nigeria, we must begin by nurturing our children through educational and developmental platforms like this,” he said.

Pupils who finished in the top 10 were also honoured, while Lagos State Model Nursery and Primary School emerged as the best-performing public school, earning a N100,000 cash prize.