The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says the IBB International Golf and Country Club will reopen for full operations in December.
Wike gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja while inspecting the ongoing rehabilitation of the club alongside other road projects in the FCT.
He said the landmark facility had been closed following an internal management crisis, prompting the FCT Administration to intervene by appointing a caretaker committee chaired by the President of the Court of Appeal.
The minister said he initially questioned the need for government to intervene in the rehabilitation of the golf club, given its perceived elitist nature.
“You may want to ask, what is our business in the golf course? Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have intervened. This is an elitist thing, and I don’t like to interfere where the poor people will not benefit,” Wike said.
He, however, said the diplomatic importance of the facility justified the intervention, noting that members of the diplomatic community used the club for recreational activities.
“But again, you see the importance of the golf course. “We have diplomats, and this is where they come and play golf,” he said.
Wike said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed that the facility be rehabilitated and reopened by December following complaints from members of the diplomatic community about the lack of suitable golf facilities in the nation’s capital.
“President Bola Tinubu directed that this golf club must be ready and be reopened by December, and, God willing, they will reopen this golf course for the use of the public,” he said.
To ensure quality execution, the FCT Administration re-engaged Julius Berger, the original contractor for the facility, citing the company’s familiarity with the site and its construction standards.
Wike said the contractor’s project lead had indicated that physical work could be completed by November but stressed that the official reopening deadline remained December.
On funding, the minister said the FCT Administration was committed to meeting its financial obligations to the contractor to ensure that work progressed without interruption.
“Julius Berger doesn’t have friendship when it comes to money. The money must be on the ground before they can do the work. So, we are doing everything possible to pay them, and we are paying them,” he said.
Wike, however, said government funding for the facility would end with the current rehabilitation exercise.
He said the club would be expected to generate sufficient revenue to finance its operations and maintenance after reopening, rather than continue to depend on public funds.
The minister urged members and golf enthusiasts in the FCT to support the rehabilitation and appreciate the president’s intervention in restoring the facility.
