By Muhyideen Jimoh

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has emerged champion of the 2nd Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) golf tournament held at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that over 160 golfers from the electricity industry participated in the tournament aimed at  strengthening collaboration among stakeholders and promote efficient service delivery.

Dogara returned an aggregate score of 62 net to emerge the overall winner of the one-day scintillating event.

An elated Dogara told NAN at the gala night for participants on Saturday that luck might have played a part in his victory, but he was more excited about participating in the tournament.

“I am excited not because I have won, but because I participated.

“The joy of golf is not  just participating, if you are not going to win anything, you take the benefits of the exercise, benefits of the vitamin D if you are playing early in the morning.

“I will say you cannot dismiss the role of luck in sports, I have been playing for some time, the first edition I came second and am happy winning today,” he said.

Dogara however stressed the need for more investment in the development of golf across the country in line with international best practices.

He specifically urged the Federal Government to put in place regulations that will mandate corporate organisations to develop and maintain strategic facilities like the IBB golf course.

“I am not saying government should budget to fix this golf club, but there are companies doing businesses in Nigeria, making returns in terms of profits in hundreds of billions.

“It’s not going to be too much for government to say since you have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

“So we can beautify this place (IBB golf course), we can raise the status of this place to be like St’ Andrews, the mother of golf in the world.

“So that anybody who comes here, or any golfer who visits this place will know we are a serious people. We are a committed people and that Nigeria has really changed for good,” he said.

The former Speaker said the tournament also served as a relaxed platform for stakeholders to discuss how to find a lasting solution to the lingering power crises in the country.

Earlier, Adetunji Adeyeye, Coordinator of the tournament told NAN that the well attended tournament afforded electricity stakeholders to further synergise.

“The golf tournament is a forum and a platform to bring all stakeholders with the Nigerian power sector to have conversations, strategize and engage informally,” he said.

NAN reports that high point of the gala night was the presentation of awards to winners and participants in different categories. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh