Festivities in Jos as Winter Polo tournament gets underway 

Polo enthusiasts in Jos and its environs will be treated to eight days of top-notch experience as the 2025  Jos Winter Polo tournament gallops off at the popular General Hassan Polo Ground with over twenty teams vying for honours  across major titles.

The glamorous festival  which stared on Boxing Day (December 26), will conclude on  January 2^nd.

 Three glittering major cups categories, Governor Cup, NASCO Cup and President Cup would have participating teams locked down in a week-long battle royal to decide the proud champions of the winter polo festival.

Jos Polo Club President and Secretary of the Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF), Murtala Laushi, has assured that the club will host the best winter polo fiesta that will surpass previous editions in every respect in years.

Laushi  noted  that with the full backing of the Plateau State Government and other stakeholders, the organizers will deliver. “

“Jos 2025 polo festival will be a festival thriving on ‘strategy, organization, excitement, competition and friendship that would perpetuate the new found peace in the state,” he stated. “We made a promise, that we will give it our all and at the end of the day everyone would talk of the 2025 tourney, ‘This is our annual tournament in which we are well pleased’ Laushi who is the Patron of the high-flying Jos Malcomines team declared.

For many years now, Jos polo and its HANGER partners have been hosting charity events for the less privileged on Christmas day December 25, as one of the major events that annually herald the polo tournament proper.

Initiated by Laushi, the charity event usually concluded with a party for the Grooms and other workers of the club alongside widows of past workers of the club who would also smile home with various gift items from the organizers.

A spokesperson of the HANGER Project, Alison Allanso who expressed delight at the usually huge turn- out particularly the children, the physically handicapped persons, the widows and the internally displaced persons (IDPS), has become one of the major highlights of the year-ending polo fiesta.

Allanso expressed appreciation to all the donors and sponsors who donated to the successful organization and hosting of the event last December, and pleaded that with the continued support from the society, the organizers can host the event twice in a year.

During the event last year, the over 400 participants smiled home with gift items, food packages and other essential items that were handed out during the party.

Apart from various food items that  were  given out, the less privileged particularly the women and orphans received clothing materials, stationary and other educational materials to help them in pursuit of a better future.

Jos Polo Captain, Yusuf Dauda also confirmed visiting teams from Abuja, Kaduna, Yola, Zaria, Minna, Maiduguri, Katsina, Kano, Bauchi, Abuja and Keffi are expected for a thrilling eight days festival.  Major trophies contested for during the fiesta include the Governor’s Cup that remains the event’s biggest prize.

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Other glittering prizes are the NASCO Cup, President Cup, and a handful of subsidiary cups to be carted by the winners and Runners-up teams during the Prize presentation Ceremony that traditionally draw the curtain on the fiesta.

Last year, the Jos’ 2024 /2025 polo extravaganza galloped off with over thirty teams drawn from all the major polo clubs across the country, and climaxed with Malcomines polo team, Crown Club & Resort team, Minna Profile and Katsina Aldusar emerging winners.

For the fifth year running, Laushi and his miners were the biggest attraction of the annual festival that remains the biggest sports cum tourism event, attracting tourists and equestrian enthusiasts in their droves to the chilly Plateau State capital city every year.