Nigerian professional Golfer, Femi Olagbenro has urged the Nigerian Government through the Nigerian Golf Federation to lead the way in terms of grassroot golf development in the country.
“When we use the word Government, we should refer to the Nigerian Golf Federation (NGF) and currently they’ve been making a lot of stride. But, I think they just need to channel it to development.
“I believe the core of the NGF as an institution is to develop the game and there is no way you can develop the game without the kids. The people playing it today will go pass their time, there should be a transition, it’s just the circle of life.”
“The NGF is the government institution responsible for Golf development within the country, they should take the lead; they have the power to appeal to clubs, we have over 80 golf clubs in the country and most of them are located in urban areas where they have created some form of development within that area and there are kids there.”
In a chat with BRL, Olagbenro revealed that unlike football or basketball that resonates immediately within the society due to it being an outdoor sports, conscious efforts need to be made by the government and facility managers to leave the door open for everyone.
“Golf is not a street sports it’s not something you see on the street, you see people playing football on the street, under the bridge, even basketball. So it’s easy to get inspired, they watch it on TV they want to be like of Kanu, for golf it’s not something you watch on TV and you just get inspiration because the first thing you see is the beautiful facility and most of these facilities within the country are gated you need access to even penetrate.
“The onus is on the Management of such facilities through the NGF engineering program to open their doors for schools, programs like that will continue to help the kids who are interested, but again the interest rate cannot be compared to what you see with football and other sports.”
