Speaker Abbas, Sanwo-Olu, others applaud 2025 Lagos polo tourney

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Senator Aliyu Wadada lead the list of high-profile personalities who have commended the recently concluded 2025 Lagos International Polo Tournament.

As the Special Guest of Honour at the prestigious event, which reached its climax last weekend in Lagos, Speaker Abbas hailed the tournament as one of the world’s foremost polo festivals. He congratulated the winners of the three-week-long international event and lauded the organizers and the Lagos Polo Club for their unwavering commitment to promoting the sport across Nigeria.

Governor Sanwo-Olu also praised the tournament, emphasizing its significance as a major tourism driver and cultural festival that showcases Lagos’ rich heritage.

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During the grand finale, Senator Aliyu Wadada, proprietor of Keffi Polo Ranch in Nasarawa State, highlighted the Lagos Polo Club’s crucial role in engaging youth positively through the sport.

Other notable figures, including the Erelu of Lagos, the Chief of Naval Staff, business moguls Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu, and General Kapeh Kazir, commended the tournament for its thrilling competition and century-long legacy.

Recognized as one of Africa’s oldest and most prestigious polo events, the tournament featured 33 teams from major polo centers across the country, with champions emerging in four main categories alongside several subsidiary winners.

The 2025 Lagos International Polo Tournament, which concluded at the iconic Ribadu Polo Ground in Ikoyi, saw Lagos-based teams and their counterparts from Abuja and Kaduna dominate the competition. Lagos MSD BabyBear clinched four major trophies—the Low Cup, Silver Cup, Sani Dangote Memorial Cup, and the Chief of Naval Staff Cup—during an impressive final week.

Seyi Tinubu’s Lagos STL team had earlier set the tone for Lagos’ dominance by winning the Oba of Lagos Cup and the prestigious Chapel Hill Denham Cup in the second week of the tournament.

Among other top winners, Abuja-based Rubicon Polo Team secured the tournament’s biggest prize, the Majekodunmi Cup, alongside the Independence Cup and the Italian Ambassador’s Cup. Kaduna Clearwater Polo Team, coached by General Kapeh, claimed the late Adedapo Ojora Memorial Cup.

Lagos FK3 Pawa and Lagos MSR Bua also emerged victorious, lifting the Governor’s Cup and the Cancer Awareness Bowl, respectively.