By Patrick Omorodion
As the MTN Lagos International Polo Tournament enters its final day today, President of the Lagos Polo Club, Adedolapo Akinrele has played down the seeming crisis rocking the Nigerian polo family with the establishment of another national body.

Polo clubs in the country before now operated under one national umbrella, the Nigeria Polo Association, NFA until recently when another body, the Nigeria Polo Federation, NPF was founded.

Signs that all may not be well with the polo family came to the fore when men of the Nigeria Immigration Services, swooped on the Lagos Polo Club premises to interrogate some of the foreign players invited for the on-going tournament during the week.

However, Akinrele, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who is the chief host of the polo tournament said there was nothing unusual about such interrogation, adding that they are ever willing to answer questions concerning foreign players who were invited personally by members for the tournament.

He was speaking at the polo club premises to acquaint the press of the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by three polo clubs, Lagos, Ibadan and Kano who restated their commitment to the leadership of the NPA to which they belong.

Akinrele however said that despite the MoU signed by the three clubs, other clubs fromaround the country are welcome to join the fold which is in the interest of the future of the game which promotes friendship among its members.

“The MoU is also aimed at assisting each other to develop polo, develop the clubs and promote the game between clubs,” he said adding that “we also aspire to make Nigeria a true destination for international polo.”

He disclosed that invitations for the on-going Lagos International Polo Tournament were sent out to all polo clubs in Nigeria irrespective of the umbrella body they belonged, adding that this is the second tournament being organised after the MoU was signed by the three clubs, the first being in Ibadan.

Present at the tete a tete with the press apart from Akinrele were Kenneth Edet and Olufemi Oldele from Ibadan Polo Club, Tajuddeen Aminu Dantata, Kano Polo Club as well as Chike Oyeka, Somuyiwa Sonubi, Tade Oyinlola and Femi Akande, all from the Lagos Polo Club.