NGF President, announce "Golf Hall of Fame'' to include Awa Ibraheem as recipient

Posted : 23 October 2023

The President of the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF), Otunba Olusola Runsewe, has announced the federation's planned 'Hall of Fame,' which will include a golf enthusiast, Dr. Awa Ibraheem, as a recipient.

Runsewe made the revelation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the 10th Awa Ibraheem Junior Open Golf Championships held at Ikeja Golf Club.

ASN reports that the 10th Awa Ibraheem Junior Open Golf Championships were teed off on Thursday and climaxed on Saturday, with Austine Aleji of Otukpo Golf Club emerging as the new champion.

Also, Ghanaian golf sensation, Juliene Amezade, stunned other Nigerian players to emerge as the winners of the U-15 Girls category, thus becoming the first non-Nigerian to win the championships that have existed for 10 years.

Speaking of the contributions of the sole sponsor of the tournament, Dr. Ibraheem, the NGF President said his dedication to promoting grassroots development of golf in Nigeria was unmatched.

"I commend the sponsor of the tournament, Ibraheem. I can attest that if we continue to develop golf like this in this country, with the 'Catch them Young' program, then the future of golf is here.

"Golf is a game that one must get used to early in life because of the flexibility of the body. Once a player passes the age of 20 years before engaging in it, such players may not reach their peak.

"There is a future for golf in Nigeria, and in the next couple of years, things will start to unfold. As of now, no Nigerian is on the golf tour, but with these young ones on board, the tour is just an inch away," Runsewe said.

The widely traveled President of NGF also said that the proposed 'Nigeria Golf Hall of Fame,' which will include six Nigerians, already had Dr. Ibraheem as one of the recipients.

"The NGF under my leadership is planning to have a 'Golf Hall of Fame,' and we are looking at six distinguished Nigerians. Dr. Awa Ibraheem has won the first slot.

"We will have the other five recipients announced later, as this is the first-ever Hall of Fame for golf in Nigeria.

"Also, I want to announce that the federation has embraced the Awa Ibraheem Junior Open Golf championship, and we will give it all the support; from now on, the tournament will have the federation's identity," he said.

Unveiling his next agenda for the development of the federation, Runsewe said he was following the blueprint he had developed before becoming the president.

"I already had a plan before contesting for the presidency of NGF. The challenge most people have is that they don't always have a plan for the office they want to contest for. For me, I already have a blueprint.

"The blueprint made the difference as I was able to convene a stakeholders meeting. I was also able to bring in professionals to train our golfers.

"I also introduced the World Handicap Index System for the first time in the history of Nigeria. Now, Nigerian golfers can travel abroad as professional golfers.

"The federation has acquired modern equipment, and now we are planning to establish the first international golf academy in Abuja," he said.

NGF President, announce "Golf Hall of Fame'' to include Awa Ibraheem as recipient

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