In spite of the Boko Haram insurgency going on in northern Nigeria, Nigerian tennis players from different parts of the country have confirmed their participation in the Dala Hard Court Tourney in Kano. 


It was gathered that a large number of the participants of the annual tourney who are from the southern part of Nigeria, despite their initial fears, have proceeded to the ancient Kano city to take part in the week-long tournament.
A chat with some of the players has revealed why they decided to take part in the First Bank-sponsored event after their initial stance.
Nigeria's Henry Atseye.
Nigeria’s Henry Atseye.
“I am going to Kano because I want to play the main draw of subsequent national tournaments. The Dala tourney is about the biggest championship in Nigeria,” one of the players who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.
He added that, “Most players will die to attend because it will give us a lot of points to prosecute other senior championships in the country in the course of the new year.


Also speaking on the decision of the players, a respected tennis coach, Kayode Savage said: “The most important thing here is the ranking points. The Dala tournament gives us about the highest ranking points in the country.
“Most players would not mind playing from the preliminaries to the main draws because as soon as they get to the main draws, they amass a lot of points adequate enough for them to play the main draws of the next national tournament which happens to be the CBN Open.”
Boko Haram's recent terror attack in Kano.
A scene of Boko Haram’s recent terror attack in Kano.
The assistant national coach for wheelchair tennis further stated that, “the tournament is the one which gives the most prize money in the country. Getting to the main draws is quite good for an average player too because it gives money as well”.
Seidu Musa, a national umpire also confirmed coach Savage’s sentiments, saying that the Dala Tourney has the biggest prize money, hence the points that it gives out attract most of Nigerian players.
“It has the highest number of points of all the national championships because of its prize money. That is the major reason many players would do anything to attend the tournament despite the unrest in the north,” the umpire presently on assignment in Togo noted.