Wellington Jighere Explained

Other Names:"The Cat in the Hat"
Birth Place:Umolo-Olomu, Delta State, Nigeria
Occupation:Scrabble player
Years Active:2002–present
Known For:Scrabble World Champion (2015)

Wellington Jighere (born [1]) is a Nigerian Scrabble player. He won the World Scrabble Championship 2015, the first win for an African nation.[2] He defeated Lewis MacKay in four straight wins.[3] [4]

Jighere is nicknamed "The Cat in the Hat" for his quiet personality and fondness for hats.[5]

Career

Jighere began playing Scrabble tournaments in 2002, after winning games versus friends in the tournament scene.[6] He was the winner of the 2015 Scrabble World Championship, the first win for an African nation.[7] After winning, he received a congratulatory phone call from president Muhammadu Buhari.

He intended to appear in the World Scrabble Championship 2016, but the French government denied his passport, along with every other member of the Nigerian Scrabble team.[8]

In 2020, he announced his retirement from tournament Scrabble, due to not being paid prize money.[9] He unretired in 2023, making an appearance in the year's World Scrabble Championship.

Achievements

Notes and References

  1. News: Paquette . Danielle . 2021-03-30 . He was Nigeria’s biggest Scrabble star. The pandemic spelled identity crisis. . 2024-07-08 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  2. News: Nigeria's Wellington Jighere almost lost for words after Scrabble world title triumph. The Guardian. Wahlquist. Calla. 9 November 2015. 16 December 2015.
  3. News: With the word 'felty,' for 36 points, Wellington Jighere becomes the first African world Scrabble champion. The Washington Post. Wang. Yanan. 10 November 2015. 16 December 2015.
  4. News: Nigerian man becomes first African to win the English-Language World Scrabble Championships. The Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2015. 16 December 2015.
  5. News: Quist-Arcton . Ofeibea . Ofeibea Quist-Arcton . 27 August 2016 . And The No. 1 Scrabble Nation In The World Is ... . 2024-07-08 . NPR.
  6. Web site: Quist-Arcton . Ofeibea . 27 August 2016 . And The No. 1 Scrabble Nation In The World Is ... . 14 December 2023 . WBUR.
  7. News: 2015-11-09 . Nigeria celebrates Africa's first English-language Scrabble win . 2024-07-08 . BBC News . en-GB.
  8. Web site: Babatunde . Mark . 2016-08-30 . Nigerian World Scrabble Champion Denied Visa by French Embassy . 2024-07-08 . Face2Face Africa . en.
  9. News: Abankula . 3 December 2020 . Wellington Jighere, world scrabble champion quits over unpaid prizes . P.M. News.
  10. Web site: Wellington Jighere . WESPA . World English Language Scrabble® Players Association . 13 December 2023 . WellingtonJighereWESPA.
  11. Web site: SPC 2023: Finals . 13 December 2023 . scrabbleplayers.org.
  12. Web site: Wellington Jighere . 13 December 2023 . wespa.org .
  13. News: Ohanusi . Chinedum . Eta Karo crowned King of West Africa Scrabble . Radio Nigeria . 13 December 2023.
  14. Web site: National Champions . 13 December 2023 . Nigeria Scrabble Federation . nigeria-scrabble-national-champions.
  15. Web site: MGI Grand Slam Finals (2022-10-16) . 13 December 2023 . WESPA.org.
  16. News: Monye . Alex . 1 September 2022 . Jighere wins maiden Scrabble In the Jungle Championship . 13 December 2023 . The Guardian (Nigeria).
  17. News: Monye . Alex . 3 October 2023 . Enoch Nwali wins Lekki scrabble classic championship . . 13 December 2023.

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