As the second stage of the glamorous MTN International Polo climax with fanfare tomorrow, the prestigious Independence Cup finals stands out as the biggest attraction of the day. The selected cup which is revered as one of the oldest polo prizes in Africa will be contested for by the best two teams in the Majekodunmi Cup contest.

olo game in action

Slated as the last game of the day, the battle for the century old prize would be decided before a full house at the legendary Lagos Polo Club Grounds as part of the Majekodunmi Cup final.

The epic clash to be watch by President Goodluck Jonathan, who is expected as the Special Guest of Honour, ministers,  members of the National Assembly, state governors, traditional rulers and  thousands of polo buffs.

With top Nigerian patrons and  as many as four Argentine professional locked in a top flight action, the Majekodunmi/Independence cups final promises  to be a thrilling six chukkas combat as all the players are already staking  huge claims for the highly revered title.

Formally Keizer Cup, the glittering prize was donated in 1914 by the then German Ambassador to Nigeria, to be competed for by high-goal teams from Nigeria and Cameroun. The cup was renamed Independence Cup when Nigeria secure her Independence in 1960.

Last year, Kaduna Fifth Chukker defeated Lagos Ashbert/MRS in a closely fought final to win the Independence Cup. The Kaduna based chukker who are on ground to defend the title are being tipped by bookmakers to retain the cup.

With three heavily armed teams complete with experienced Argentine professionals, the cup will not literally follow fifth Chukker back to Kaduna, as the home boys have vowed to break Kaduna domination of the cup.

While the Independence Cup will expectedly hold sway tomorrow, (Sunday), the Governor’s Cup that remains one of the biggest prizes in this MTN powered polo extravaganza, would be decided this evening.

The contest for the prestigious prize played in honour of the Lagos State Governor,   Raji Fashola who is one of patrons of the highbrow Lagos Polo Club, will pitched Bode Makanjuola’s Caverton against Kola Karim’s Shoreline in a five chukker explosion.

Governor Fashola who is expected as the Special Guest of Honour with his entire cabinet today will have the honour of performing the traditional  toss of the ball to ignite what has been dubbed the battle of the Lagos titans.

Makanjuola who is bracing up for the rumble alongside his brother, Rotimi  Makanjuola, Glory Mbano and Franciso  Irastorza, described the Governor’s Cup as one of the special prize he would not want to miss.

“Last year Caverton came out big and won one of the four major prizes at stake. This year, we are stepping up the tempo and we are targeting the Open Cup as well as the Governor’s Cup and we are looking forward to achieving these objectives,” Bode enthused.

The MTN international fiesta which climax with fanfare tomorrow (Sunday) was loaded with plenty of off the field entertainments.

Various Djs entertained guest on a daily basis, there was fashion shows and  lots of Nigerian artisitsts led by the legendary King Sunny Ade ensure that the international polo extravaganza was truly grand.