As the Lagos international polo horses set for galloping

It is not an exaggeration that polo is the oldest competitive sport in Nigeria, headlining the 20th century. History shows that although the earliest games were played in Ikoyi on a strip of land between the Lagos Polo Club and Ikoyi Club, the first major competition was held in 1914, featuring British Nigeria and German Cameroon and both competed until 1960 for a trophy known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Cup, donated by a prominent German philanthropist Wilhelm Solf in honour of Wilhelm.

It was renamed Independence Cup after Nigeria gained independence from Britain in October 1960. However, due to the low maintenance costs for horses in Nigeria in comparison to Europe, as well as the monetary support of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), polo became very attractive to European pre-independence expatriates, with the West African Command having saddle clubs that granted funds to officers to purchase ponies and stables where the ponies could be held, even as most of the horses were a local crossbreed.

The sport had attracted the royalty of Northern Nigeria, specifically finding favour with the Emir of Katsina, Mallam Muhammadu Dikko, who visited Hurlingham between 1920 and 1930 and was thereafter influenced to develop polo in his domain. With his sons, they raised awareness for the sport among prominent northerners. Mallam Nagogo, his son and successor, would later become one of Nigeria’s most decorated players with a handicap of +7 while his team from Katsina dominated polo in the country from the 1930s when it earned a blue ribbon, winning in the process the Georgian Cup for the next two decades.

Despite the sport waning soon after independence as the British civil servants and army officials returned to Britain, the setback did not last long as the Nigerian military then began to sustain the sport by ensuring that the Nigeria Defence Academy, established in 1964, encouraged its recruits to engage in polo as a form of exercise. Meanwhile, the Lagos Polo Club, hitherto dominated by expatriates before independence, soon also began to invest reliance on budding businessmen and other Nigerian elite to sustain its activities.

Before long, the Lagos Polo Club had become established, with the Kaduna Polo Club, Port Harcourt Polo Club, Fifth Chukker Polo and Country Club, Jos Polo Club, Kano Polo Club and Katsina Polo Club entering the fray to expand the sport across the country.

Management of the foremost club, the Lagos Polo Club, is well aware of the foregoing rich history and the need to sustain it as it announced on January 28 that the 2025 NPA/GTCO Lagos International Polo Tournament would gallop off on February 4 with a record of 35 teams jostling for top honours in four major prizes and six subsidiary laurels.

A team of foreign professionals are expected to participate in this tournament, fortified by thoroughbred Argentine horses with which they would be competing for The Silver Cup, The Lagos Low Cup, The Open Cup and the event’s biggest prize, the Majekodunmi Cup respectively.

According to the club management, the subsidiary prizes comprise the Oba of Lagos, Governor’s Cup, Adedapo Ojora Memorial Cup, Sani Dangote Cup, the Italian Ambassador’s Cup and the Independence Cup, Lagos Heritage Cup and Chief of Naval Staff Cup, while Owen Bowl, reputed as the oldest polo tournament in Africa, dating back to the early 1900s, would also be won during the tournament.

For the third time in the history of the international polo tournament, the event would be decided over three weeks, with six equally matched teams competing for the Open Cup and the Silver Cup from the opening day.

When the highly revered Majekodunmi Cup takes the center stage from February 11 to16, the Lagos Art Hotel would jostle for the top prize with Lagos Shoreline, Lagos STL and Abuja Rubicon. The last week would see teams drawn from major polo centers across the country also competing for the Low Cup in what the Tournament Manager, Olumayowa Ogunnisi, called a thrilling recap that would serve to reciprocate the main sponsor, GTCO, and other sponsors.

For the Lagos Polo Club Captain, Mohammed Sani Dangote, the spice for the tournament would be the participation of professional players from Argentina, United Kingdom and South Africa, in addition to professional umpires that are also expected from some European countries.

Bode Makanjuola, President of the Lagos Polo Club, is banking on the infrastructure upgrade on the Ikoyi grounds which he said have been primed for the safety of players and horses for the expected intense competition and in line with the best international standards.

The organisers and other stakeholders are unanimous that all efforts have been geared towards making the 2025 Lagos International Polo Tournament align with the sport’s long-standing heritage in Nigeria.