Nigeria's young Scrabble players have finished as the second-best country at the World Youth Scrabble Championship in Nairobi, Kenya, after securing multiple individual honours at the tournament.

The Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) said the achievement was made possible by sustained support from the Kwara State Government under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, alongside assistance from the Bayelsa and Niger State Governments.

NSF spokesperson, Maxwell Kumoye, said Team Nigeria competed against 134 young players from around the world across 24 rounds over three days to secure the Second Best Country prize.

Sophia Ekeruche successfully defended the Best Female Player title she won in Malaysia last year, while Yusuf Abdulsalam emerged champion in the U-8 category and was also named Best Kid of the Tournament.

Salvation Onazi finished as the second runner-up in the U-10 category, while Saviour Onazi placed third in the U-12 category.

In the U-16 category, Olamide Hassan finished as the second runner-up and placed 10th overall in the tournament.

Kumoye said Kwara State, which has supported Nigerian Scrabble for about six years, funded the participation of four players and two officials in the Nairobi championship.

He said the intervention helped Nigeria avoid missing another major international youth competition.

The team was coached by Hassan Olojoku Abdulrafiu, while support from the Bayelsa and Niger State Governments also contributed to Nigeria's participation.

The latest performance represents a notable achievement for Nigerian sport, coming amid a challenging period for several national teams competing internationally.

The senior women's basketball team, D'Tigress, recently suffered two defeats against China in warm-up matches ahead of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, while the Junior D'Tigers ended their campaign at the FIBA U-18 AfroBasket without a win.

The Super Falcons were also eliminated from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations following a quarter-final defeat to Cameroon, while the Flying Eagles lost to Burkina Faso in the WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship final, ruling Nigeria out of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Against that backdrop, the strong performance by Nigeria's young Scrabble players provides a welcome boost for the country's sporting community.