Time for NNPC to shun golf jamboree

There is no doubt that the NNPC as a mega corporation has done so much to uplift the game of golf in Nigeria. In several places across the nation, the NNPC is usually spearheading one golf tourney or the other. During the reign of Gaius Obaseki as Group Managing Director of NNPC, golf took a special place in the corporation as all senior staff were mandated to play the game. Also a former GMD, Austen Oniwon, spearheaded the Rose Bowl golf event that was the pride of golfers, especially those from Port Harcourt.

But something dramatic played out in Kaduna last week. An NNPC Downstream tourney that packed home a stunning N40 million ended up in a one-day ‘kitty’, loaded with food and booze and dancehall with not one professional golfer teeing it off. This is bizarre.

We have mentioned it here severally that golf events, worldwide, have to do with pros and amateurs roaming the fairways in an elaborate Pro-Am tourney. The pros exceptionally play for money while the amateurs are forever grateful walking same fairways with the pros in a robust golf game. And for God’s sake, the Pros would have eagerly played for four days with a paltry N5 million as prize money Work out N5 million from N40 million and arrive at such joy and mileage a four-day pro game could have come NNPC’s way.

The present GMD of the corporation, Maikanti Baru, has shown enough enthusiasm when it comes to the golf game. May be he should push it a notch higher by ensuring future NNPC golf events don’t end up as jamborees. Truth is a N10 million purse for the pros could bring pro golfers from across Africa adorning the golf shirt of NNPC. This could smell roses for the image of the corporation. Standing by and watch N40 million fizzle away in a oneday kitty could read like a disaster to the oil corporation.