Sports

Abuja Golf Reporters Appeal to Wike to Reopen IBB International Golf & Country Club

Published

1 year ago

August 19, 2025

John Ayodele

Golf reporters in Abuja have joined stakeholders in appealing to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Honourable Nyesom Wike, to reopen the prestigious IBB International Golf & Country Club for the good of the sport and the community.

The club, one of Nigeria’s most popular golfing facilities, has remained closed following a lingering leadership crisis that prompted the Minister’s intervention earlier in the year.

His decisive action, which included shutting down the club for renovation and membership review, initially received widespread commendation as a step towards restoring peace and order.

On April 5, 2025, Minister Wike reconstituted the club’s Board of Trustees (BoT), appointing Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal, as Chairperson, replacing Gen. IBM Haruna. Other members of the new BoT include Otunba Segun Runsewe, Mrs. Grace Ihonvbere, S.I. Ameh (SAN), Hamid Abbo, Admiral Victor Adedipe (rtd), Chief Patrick Chidolue, Mr. Ben Ikokwu, and Adumu Suleiman.

The appointments were widely praised as a measure to restore lasting peace among members.However, months after the closure, concerns have grown among golfers and staff.

According to investigations by one of the reporters, some members are struggling with their health due to the lack of regular exercise and access to the club’s facilities. Staff members have also lamented the loss of their source of livelihood, which has left many families financially distressed.

Indeed, the joy, happiness, and social connections that came with the club’s activities have been taken away, the prolonged shutdown is taking a heavy toll on both members and workers.
In a joint statement, the Abuja-Based Golf

Reporters appealed directly to Minister Wike: “We call on His Excellency, the people’s Minister, Mr. Fix-It, to please temper justice with mercy by reopening the club.

“This will not only help avert untimely deaths due to inactivity but also restore livelihoods and bring back excitement and joy to the community.”

They further urged the Minister to ensure urgent remedial work on the facilities to prevent total collapse and disruption of the club’s ecosystem.

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Sports

LWR’ll give women economic empowerment –Folami

Published

2 hours ago

November 6, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

As the 2026 Lagos Women Run further gathers momentum, the organisers are planning big for the other aspects of the annual event.

The press conference to herald the competition took place during the week in Lagos with the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, Coordinator, Tayo Popoola, and other top dignitaries in attendance.

The Founder and Executive Director of Mateen Lander Impact Foundation, Sidikat Folami, who is the team leader of the three-day exhibition, said there were plenty of opportunities to be derived from the forthcoming Lagos Women Run.

Folami who commended the organisers, sponsors and Lagos State Government said there was always something special for every participant every year.

She added: “We want to give women the opportunity to take part in economic empowerment and this is where sport comes in. Sport is a unifier. When you see people gather around you know that something is happening and that is where Lagos women run is ensuring that we are not just running in one city, one stride initiative, we are running economically.

“We are also working with the environmentalists to make sure the environment is protected. That’s where we bring in recycle programs, private organizations to make women know that there is money around them, sustainable money and make them understand all the money that sits around them.”

The exhibition takes place between November 10 and 12 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium while the 10km race takes place on November 14 2ith the Tafawa Balewa Square as the takeoff point.

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