Re: A monarch’s dislike for Kaduna Golf Club’s takeover

Our attention has been drawn to the above titled story in the Daily Trust of Thursday, January 19, 2017, written by one Tony Akhigbe. The New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) wouldn’t have bothered responding to the unsubstantiated issues raised in the said publication had the author not copiously quoted the highly respected royal father, the […]

Our attention has been drawn to the above titled story in the Daily Trust of Thursday, January 19, 2017, written by one Tony Akhigbe.

The New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) wouldn’t have bothered responding to the unsubstantiated issues raised in the said publication had the author not copiously quoted the highly respected royal father, the Emir of Birnin Gwari. This is not to talk about the gutter language employed by the author which, in our opinion, is not fit for a respected paper like the Daily Trust.

While we doubted the authenticity of the source of the quotations published, we find it necessary to set the records straight and, in the process, educate the public on the issues surrounding the leasing of the Golf Course land to the Kaduna Golf Club by the NNDC.

To this end we wish to clarify as follows: That, the NNDC as the investment arm of the 19 states of Northern Nigeria is charged with the responsibility of managing the commonwealth of the region by ensuring that its assets are fully secured and optimally utilised to the greater benefit of the people.

Secondly, the entire Golf Course land is owned by NNDC and it is currently being charged N4million per annum as ground rent for use of the entire land.

Secondly, the Kaduna Golf Club as tenants were being charged N500,000 per annum as rents, even at that the club has refused to pay for seven years and are currently in arrears of over N3.5million. And the NNDC, in order to ensure adequate returns on asset utilisation by tenants, took a decision to advertise for lease of the Golf Course land to interested professionals who will manage the place well and be able to pay agreed rental fees as and when due.

Thirdly, the Kaduna Golf Club has failed to meet its outstanding obligations to NNDC despite repeated appeals and demands. Several meetings were held to resolve the issue to no avail. It would be noted that the NNDC was not established as a charitable organisation and therefore not expected to subsidise the activities of the Kaduna Golf Club.

Fourthly, it is a known fact that Golf Courses the world over are run profitably through the contributions of their committed members and other external sponsors. We see no reason why the case should be different with the Kaduna Golf Club.

Moreover, NNDC had received offers from other prospective investors who are ready to pay N10 million per annum for the same land in order to provide the same Golf Course services.

Following the brief explanation above, therefore, we wish to caution against spurious claims about the Golf Course land and dragging the names of otherwise respectable figures into the issue.

Finally, we call on the general public to completely disregard any false impression created or conveyed by the said Tony Akhigbe as contained in the publication titled above.

Temitayo Lukman Babatunde, Corporate Relations Department, New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC)