The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has indicated plans to rehabilitate the iconic IBB International Golf and Country Club, hinting at an emergency intervention to revive its deteriorating infrastructure and reinforce its tourism potential.
The Minister disclosed this during an official visit to the facility on Saturday in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.
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Speaking during his maiden inspection of the club on Saturday, Wike said he was impressed with the facility’s infrastructure and committed to ensuring it is revived to global standards under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister who spent some time engaging with members of the Board of Trustee (BOT), led by it chairperson, justice Monica Dongban Mensem, described the club as “government property” of immense national value, expressing pride in the way it has been managed.
According to him, “I’m not a golfer, this is my first time here, but I was impressed. Places like this drive tourism and investment. If you open up facilities, you stop degeneration and attract people,”
Wike noted that the IBB international Golf Club has the potential to complement FCT’s growing tourism ecosystem.
He challenged members of the Board who owned properties in Abuja to endeavor to pay their ground rent to enable government carryout peculiar tasks of providing infrastructures across the nation’s capital for the benefit of the residents.
Drawing comparisons with the ongoing renovation of the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre, Wike stated, “If we want to move this country forward, this is the kind of standard we require. Julius Berger, who built this place, will be invited again—it’ll be easier for them to handle the upgrade.”
He, however, warned against any assumptions of ownership, asserting, “We will not allow anybody to take what belongs to us. Government is not a good manager, but appointing a board of trustees ensures proper oversight. Managing does not mean owning.”
Wike also revealed plans to involve Julius Berger, original builders of the facility in the rapid upgrade of the clubhouse, calling the restoration an emergency project.
Wike’s remarks followed a passionate appeal from President of the Court of Appeal and Chairperson, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the IBB Golf Club, Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, who described the facility as “an emergency case in dire need of intervention.”
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the IBB international Golf Club and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, hailed the Minister’s visit as historic.
She noted that, “This foremost facility, opened to the public in 1991, was built by the federal government and maintained by patriotic trustees for over three decades. It remains one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s finest golf destinations”.
Justice Dongban-Mensem made an impassioned plea for urgent rehabilitation, citing worn-out infrastructure and a dramatic rise in membership.
” We started with 29 as founding members. “From 29 founding members, we now have over 5,000 members. The club-house was meant to have a second floor, which was never completed. The facility is bleeding. We are in the emergency unit. Please pull us out,” she appealed.
She emphasised the club’s role in grooming golf professionals, contributing to regional sports development, and functioning as an eco-tourism hub.
Reinforcing the appeal, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, a trustee and cultural advocate, presented Wike with a symbolic golf club as a nudge to take up the sport.
” You don’t need 22 players like in football. One player in golf can make a global impact. Golf is now a $6.4 billion industry in Africa,” he said.
Runsewe lauded Wike as “a misunderstood man who delivers,” highlighting his legacy as the first Nigerian governor to host sportswriters for national sporting events and to establish a football academy in partnership with Real Madrid.
“Mr. Project is now Mr. Golf Legend. A man who can come and save IBB Golf Club is no less than that,” he declared.
With international attention turning toward Abuja’s conference and leisure facilities, Wike’s possible intervention in the IBB Golf Club signals a broader push to reposition the FCT as a premier destination for tourism, diplomacy, and recreational excellence