Vice President, Other Dignitaries Grace MTN Unity Polo Tournament Final

15th December, 2010 - 4:02 PM

The maiden edition of the MTN Unity Polo that galloped off on a blistering note four days earlier in Abuja took off with a bang on Monday May 24, 2010 with the attendance of eminent personalities that included the Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, members of the National Assembly, led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole, former governors and traditional rulers, among others. Vice President Sambo presented the coveted Democracy Cup to the best team, Kaduna Trappco captained by Suleiman Abubakar. He is also the patron of the club. The Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr Ahmad Faroukh, who was represented at the closing ceremony by Mr Wale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, expressed the company's delight at being involved in the maiden edition of the MTN Unity Polo Tournament According to Faroukh, MTN is proud to identify with the game being played by prestigious individuals and just like every Polo player; MTN treats its customers as kings. The biggest victory of the day was undoubtedly the cliff hanger Democracy Cup that required a sudden death goal by Ibrahim Mohammed to put Kaduna Trappco on record as the first ever winner of the inaugural MTN Unity Polo tournament staged in Abuja. To qualify for the Democracy Cup final, Trappco defeated Meridian Airline 7-4½, while Rubicon 1 defeated El-Amin 5-3½ to book a final date against Trappco Trappco squad, parading Ibrahim Babangida, Suleiman Abubakar, Ibrahim Mohammed and Rabiu Mohammed, took to a brilliant start with a three-goal lead, but Rubicon that boasts of the hard fighting players like the Speaker House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, Hamisu Buba, Jamilu Mohammed and Mamuda Shehu rose to the challenge, taking the lead in the third chukker.

The final two chukkers of the final explosion was the high point of the prestigious event as both teams came out 8-8 at the end of regulation time. Cheered on by the excited crowd, both finalists went into the sudden death looking for that magical goal that would break the deadlock and Ibrahim Mohammed turned in a goal mouth scramble, which made the crowd go wild. Another exciting victory that has since become the talk of the town in the Federal Capital Territory was the much anticipated Guards Brigade Trophy final that pitted the Nigerian Army team against their perpetual rivals, the Nigeria Police team. Although the Nigerian Army team came out tops in the gruelling battle that kept the crowd on their feet from start to finish, the resilience of the Police side was a further demonstration that in any cup final game there are no under-dogs. Led by CSP Aliyu Abubakar, the Police who easily disposed their semi-final opponents, Al-Barak, threw everything at the Lt. Col. Kapeh Kazir-led Army side, drawing level 7-7 in the last seconds of the of the last chukker. The resultant sudden death chukker went all the way to the last minute when Lado Abubakar scored a 60-yard penalty that gave the Army the day. Following on the heel of the spectacular display by the uniformed men, Hon Ibrahim Ballah-led Meridian Airline edged out hard fighting El-Amin to win the FCT Ministers Cup, their first major polo title in Abuja. In the final Legislative Shield game that was dominated by members of the House of Representatives, it was not surprising when Hon Aliyu Wadada-led Keffi Ponnies defeated Rubicon 2, powered by Hon Hadi Sirika 6½ -4 in what was aptly tagged the war of the parliamentarians. Before the grand finale, Mubarak Isa-led Al Barak had made history as the first winners of the coveted Makin Bade Cup by beating Aso Rock, just as Zuma Rock team overpowered the Green Veterans in the campaign for the Emir of Gumel Cup.

Apart from the high profile players who showcased their awesome skills in the four-day grand event, the organisation and the high level of competition truly reflected the real Nigerian spirit. Hosted by Royal Guards Polo Club and sponsored by MTN, the prestigious fiesta attracted 12 top polo teams from across the country.