The Captain of the esoteric Ibadan Golf Club, Mr Ola Ibironke Dudu has praised the efforts of the founding fathers of the club while tracing the history of how the sporting club has continued to blossom.
In a speech during the grand finale of the weeklong 30th anniversary of the club, the Ibironke also showed appreciation to one of Nigeria’s most vibrant financial institutions, Heritage Bank and others for providing financial support to ensure the success of the event.
Read the Captain’s full speech here:
His Excellency the governor of Oyo State,
Engr. Oluseyi Makinde, FSE
The Patron, GOC 2 Division Nigerian Army.
The Trustees of Ibadan Golf Club,
Past Captains, Past Lady Captains and Elders of our great Club,
All past Captains and Captains of other Golf Clubs herein present
Executive Committee Members,
Fellow Golfers,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I welcome you all to the closing ceremony of the weeklong activities in celebration of the club’s 3Oth Anniversary and the ‘Night of Honour’ where founders of Ibadan Golf Club and golf enthusiasts who have contributed immensely to the development of the game of golf and Ibadan Golf Club will be honoured.
It has been a fantastic 30 years plus that the founders of this great club laid the first block of what we are celebrating today. I sincerely appreciate them and may the souls of the ones that have passed rest in perfect peace.
30 years ago, we were told that a little misunderstanding between the main section of the Ibadan Recreation Club and the Golf section resulted to the birth of Ibadan Golf club. But sincerely, if we look at it spiritually, to me the fight was divine for the manifestation of the great Ibadan Golf Club which we are celebrating today. I therefore admonish the two club to shield their swords and embrace peace and harmony and coexist as one family. Nothing in life is worth fighting for more so that the two clubs are our retirement homes.
I want to specially recognize and thank IGC PEARL awardees for singularly founding golf courses and using their time and resources to make the game popular in Nigeria. Hon. David Mark, former Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, the CEO of Elizade Motors and founder of Smokins’ Hills Golf Course in Ilara Mokin, Engr Tunde Ponle founder of MicCom Golf Course in Ada, Hon. Teju Ishola founder of Hassabary Golf course in Shaki. They are our Golf Icons.
The success of this anniversary wouldn’t have come to be without the contributions of the IGC Diamond Awardees for sustaining the club with quality competitions over the years as we all know that competition is the bedrock of any golf club.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the success of what you see today is greatly enhanced by the quality and competence of the chairman and members of the planning committee who were brilliant, devoted and committed in the planning and execution of roles allocated to every individual. I appreciate them all.
Special thanks to Heritage Bank Plc, the anniversary’s major sponsor for enlarging our coast financially in order to make the anniversary elaborate and eventful. You will forever be remembered in the history of Ibadan Golf Club.
However, we are looking forward to HERITAGE BANK ANNUAL PRO-AM GOLF COMPETITION. I cannot but appreciate all the lovers of Ibadan Golf Club for supporting the event generously. From the heart, I am very grateful most especially to Alhaji Awa Ibrahim whom I met for the first time having been following the Children’s Golf Competition he organizes on yearly basis.
First impression they say, lasts forever, Alhaji Awa blew my imagination. May the blessings of Almighty Allah never depart from him and to my dear brother, Major General Tokunbo Fayemiwo, I adore you, you made it possible. May the Almighty continue to guide and guard your steps in the course of your duty to our dear nation. You’re one of a kind.
I must also place on record the unique contributions and total support of members of this great club, the sacrifice of the past captains and their executives for their ‘sacrificial’ endurance in the last 30 years. I am not unmindful of the periods where we have improvised construction and reconstruction processes both on and off the course yet you bore same with admirable candour and together we all navigated the various bends to have the IGC we have today. Posterity will always remember every one of you including myself for our steadfastness.
Lastly, I hope all the golfers who came to honour us had great times playing our course with its uniqueness and peculiarities and had fun in the hole 19. I wish you all journey mercies to your various destinations and I guide you by the Almighty’s Grace.
Thank you and God Bless.
L’abe Igi Oronbo.
Ola Ibironke, Captain
