By Victor Okoye

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, has reaffirmed  the Federal Government’s commitment to empowering women across all sectors in the country.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated this at the tee-off ceremony of the 26th edition of the IBB Ladies Amateur Golf Open on Friday in Abuja.

The tournament, themed “The Abuja Experience,” is attracting an unprecedented record of over
450 female golfers from hosts Nigeria and five other African nations of; Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The minister expressed her support for initiatives that promote women’s participation and success in various fields, especially in sports.

She noted that women excel when given the opportunity to participate and contribute to the nation’s development.

“This is part of my mandate as a marching order from Mr. President, Bola Tinubu, that women should be supported across all sectors.

“We must activate, cultivate, and support to build the potential of women across all sectors.

“We know that when women do things, they do it properly, and we like to support women to contribute to the economy of Nigeria,” she said.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed that supporting women was crucial for the growth and prosperity of Nigeria.

“It means excellence, growth, economic development, and prosperity because a healthy woman or people make a healthy nation.

“When women are healthy, the nation is healthy. Golf plays a critical role in ensuring that we are healthy,” she said.

She added that the focus on women goes beyond sports, with the Ministry also committed to supporting women in agriculture, the green economy, the care economy, the creative industries, and emerging economies.

She welcomed all the participating countries to Abuja, expressing confidence in the competition’s success.

“I like to welcome you all to Abuja. We have many countries coming to play in this particular competition.

“I will like to assure you all that you are going to be wowed because when women play, they play for excellence,” she said.

Earlier, Julie Donli, the Lady Captain, IBB International Golf and Country Club told newsmen that the tournament had grown significantly, promoting excellence in women’s golf.

She said that the tournament continues to be a significant event in promoting women’s sports and empowering women across Africa.

She added that the minister’s support further underscores the importance of the tournament for the country’s development.

“Our goal is to continuously elevate the standard of this event and to create opportunities for more women to participate and enjoy the sport.

“In addition to the opportunity for participants to compete with some of the best golfers from across the country and beyond, the competition is a celebration of women in sport,” she said.

Uloma Mbuko, the chairman of the tournament’s technical committee and the first Nigerian female professional golfer, explained that the event would also allow players to earn world rankings.

“It is a world ranking tournament, meaning that players will earn rankings according to the world ranking system.

“No fewer than 200 ladies are participating in the main event.

“In this category, we have female professionals, those in the main event playing off handicaps of 0-18, a division for handicaps of 19-28, veterans, super veterans, and a special category.

“This tournament is all-inclusive, and we are looking forward to world-standard golfing over the next three days,” Mbuko said.

Meanwhile, defending champion Evelyn Oyome, who is also the President of the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria (LGAN), expressed her determination to defend her title.

Oyome, a seasoned amateur golfer from Ikoyi Club, beat off intense pressure from Ugandan golfer Kabasweka Peace on the final day of the 2024 edition to secure the IBB Ladies Open crown for the second consecutive year.

NAN reports that the championship trophy and a cash prize of $5,000 are up for grabs as participants continue to slug it out at the lush green course of the IBB Golf and Country Club, Abuja.

The week–long tournament, which began on Monday with the caddies competition, is expected to end with the grand finale on Sunday.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh