Lalong Urges NGF to Organise Regular Golf Summits

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Plateau State Governor, Rt Hon. Simon Lalong, has enjoined the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) to organise on regular basis programmes like the National Summit on Golf to enable club captains, the members of the NGF and other stakeholders to interact, identify and develop young talents and recruit more members into golf.

Lalong, made the appeal in his goodwill message to the stakeholders at the maiden edition of the National Summit on Golf held at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

He called on captains of various golf clubs to develop Peer Review Mechanism and work together in the interest of uniformity and standardization of the game. Lalong reiterated that more than being a mere sporting activity, golf is a huge economic venture.

The governor called on NGF to work hard to demystify the notion that golf is exclusively for the elites, while urging government and all relevant authorities to give full support to golf both in policy matters as well as in funding.

The Chairman Northern Governors’ Forum, who plays golf off 16 handicap, also directed that the Nigeria Open Golf Championship last held in 1999 should be restored.

While welcoming the participants to the summit, the President of NGF, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said that the summit was informed by the need for golf captains and stakeholders in Nigeria to interact, exchange views and opinions with a view to developing a roadmap for the development of the game of golf in the country.

Runsewe, said that golf can no longer be seen only as a sporting event, but also as a serious socio-economic activity with far reaching health benefits.

He said immense opportunities abound in golf which when fully developed, could stabilise the nation socially and economically, thereby driving sustainable national development. He stressed the need for golfers in Nigeria to take the game to the next level.

Stating that the summit signifies the beginning of a new dawn in the history of golf development in Nigeria, Runsewe also expressed appreciation to the sponsors/partners of the golf summit that include; Polaris Bank, Anchor Insurance, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and African Independent Television (AIT).

He said the NGF would work hard to demystify the notion that golf is exclusively for the elites, while calling on government and all relevant authorities to give full support to golf both in policy matters as well as in funding.

On his part, the Minister of Sport and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare lauded the NGF for the initiative of the summit and vowed to support NGF in the task of developing golf in Nigeria. He said that adequate provision will be made in the next year’s budget for golf development, adding that the ministry will sit with NGF to identify young talents for grooming and advancement in their talents and golf career.

The technical session delved on the application of the World Handicap System used in regulating golfing globally in Nigeria. The WHS document was consequently adopted and captains of the various Golf Clubs were urged to begin to update their clubs and provide necessary information for enlistment.