We train young golfers free – IBB Club Captain

What is the significance of IBB Golf Club Ladies Open? Well, the IBB Golf and Country Club Ladies Open tournament over the years has been the biggest gathering of lady golfers all over Nigeria and beyond and this year is no exception, rather this year it has set a new bar as ladies all over […]

What is the significance of IBB Golf Club Ladies Open?

Well, the IBB Golf and Country Club Ladies Open tournament over the years has been the biggest gathering of lady golfers all over Nigeria and beyond and this year is no exception, rather this year it has set a new bar as ladies all over Nigeria and beyond have come here to play golf.

We are very proud to our Lady Captain, Nana Abubakar for organizing the ladies for this wonderful event because I am aware there are ladies from Ghana and Senegal for this tournament.

The game of golf all over the world is something big, how practically is the IBB Club working towards achieving this and break the jinx?

First of all, as a nation, our colonial masters did not bequeath the game of golf to us, the few golf courses that were constructed were meant for the recreation of the colonial masters, unlike our African counterparts, particularly in the Eastern and Southern Africa like Zimbabwe, South Africa and Angola.

After Independence, the first Nigerian to play golf was the same legendary Anthony Enahoro, the man who raised the motion for Nigeria’s Independence.

But a large country like Nigeria with a large number of young people, it is our intention to take golf as a game to the next level, especially now that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved golf as one of the sports to be competed for at the next Olympic Games.

So, as Africa’s number one golf club, we have put machineries in motion for a series of youths and club development, and to make youths and children to come and practice the sport here free of charge whether their parents are members of this club or not, and our intention is that in the next Olympic Games Nigeria will produce ladies and gentlemen that will make this country proud.

So the club is positioned in promoting the game and we are actually up and doing in this regard by putting things in place to ensure that we achieve this objective, and also ensure that golf is not an elitist game as is being erroneously said but a game for everybody.

If look at Jos where I come from there are three golf courses there, and the reason is because of the cool weather there and all our local boys around the three golf clubs are involved in practicing the sport.

There is need to build golf courses around if we want to achieve our target of producing professionals that will fetch us medals at the Olympics. Abuja being a big city, it is long overdue to have at least five golf courses.

So, I want to use this opportunity to call on the authorities to build at least four golf courses of IBB standard in the city for our youths because asides sports, it is development and tourism and can attract a lot of people that matter to the country.

You cannot completely rule out the fact that golf is an elitist game, considering that cost of golf equipments is expensive, what is the club doing in this regard so that those who cannot afford them still practice the sport?

Our club is open to anybody that desires to practice, we have golf clubs donated from Saint Andrews from the home of golf in Scotland so that any child that wants to play golf and registers with us will be able to use of the equipments. The golf clubs are available there, given to us free by Saint Andrews of Scotland for the training of our children, young Nigerians and we will be doing so.

So I am using this opportunity to call on parents whose children have interest in golf because this is a game that teaches integrity, perseverance, patience and honesty.

What do you intend to achieve with all these tournaments?

The game of golf is called the game of love and friendship, the game of golf is one that integrates people, irrespective of race and status, irrespective of whatever you think of and again it is game for everybody.

So, I think at this stage of difficulties in our national life like in terms of security, attempt at people to fragment this country, we want to use the game of golf because the game of golf knows no discrimination.

We play golf at IBB and anywhere in the world without discrimination and we golfers have resolved to use this game because there is no respecter of status to enhance solidarity and accelerate Nigeria’s national integration. I think golf can foster peace and national unity.

As you all know, we have series of programmes in Nigeria. We plan to meet with the governors in the northern states to ensure they establish golf courses because golfers know no discrimination. A friendship struck on the golf course is an everlasting friendship. A relationship bind by golf is everlasting.

Are you going to stage a tournament particularly for that?

No, no, we don’t need to do that, what we will do is to organize more tournaments like we have here. You are aware, this week we are going to Otukpo Golf Club for Governor Gabriel Suswam Golf tournament; it is a national Pro-Am, which means golfers are coming all over Nigeria.

Today, we are having IBB Golf Ladies Open and people have come from all over Nigeria, so with these, it will be a foregone conclusion that Nigeria is an indivisible country.

We believe in one Nigeria and despite the current challenges, we will overcome it and remain one united country.