The tourists-pulling tournament had participants from West African countries, including very senior government officials and captains of Nigerian industries.
Polo in Nigeria is as old as the country, first played by European naval officers in the early years of the twentieth century. The game was introduced to Lagos in 1914 before spreading to Northern Nigeria. The rules of the game are managed by the NPF.
Recall that Kangiwa, fondly called NSK by fellow Polo players, just completed his tenure as the second Vice-President of the Polo Federation, a position he held for two consecutive terms in four years before winning the exalted position of President of the NPF.
More so, the statutory biennial election of Executive Members of the NPF held recently in Jos after the conclusion of Jos Polo International Tournament, which had participating teams from Africa and the Americas.
NPF is one of the apex groups of Polo stakeholders in the country that oversee the game and is massively involved in the management of the sport, including international affiliations.
Kangiwa is a prolific Polo player and the progenitor of the pathfinding NSK Polo Ranch and Resorts. He’s also the patron of the famous Argungu Polo Tournament and Cultural Fete, the leading Polo tournament and Cultural Tourism event in Northwest Nigeria. The Argungu Polo tourney and Cultural fete held for the 7th consecutive year, in September 2022.
The election saw the emergence of eight officials to spearhead the affairs of the Federation for the next two years. The newly elected Executive Members include Kangiwa (President); Tanko Ayuba (1st Vice President); Abdulkarim Jibril (2nd Vice President); Murtala Laushi (Secretary); Usman Sa’ad (Treasurer); Haruna Ningi (Assistant Secretary); Aliyu Illela (Assistant Treasurer) and Mohamed Baba (Ex Officio 1).
In his acceptance speech, after being declared the NPF President, Kangiwa said, “I have already seen the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment that you will all bring to the Federation. With your help and support, I will do my best to meet the challenges facing our Federation. I will also continue to go the extra mile in building the Federation, and carrying out the many worthwhile projects that we undertake for the benefit of our community.”
The newly elected President of NPF also assured all members of the Polo community of his determination to turn a new page for the game and benefits of members.
He said: “I still want to expand the frontiers of Nigerian polo; thus I pledge to re-double my efforts in promoting Nigerian polo within the continent and internationally. It is my intention also to commission a 5-year Strategic Plan for the Federation, which I think would provide guidance for me and future Federation presidents in terms of setting and achieving our goals.”
Kangiwa is the ‘Turakin’ Kebbi, a historic traditional title of ancient Argungu Emirate, in present day Kebbi State, Northwest Nigeria. The Turakin Kebbi is equally the team lead of NSK Polo club with stables in Nasarawa and Kebbi states.
