Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, has said the IBB International Golf and Country Club Abuja, will be renovated and upgraded to international standard.
Mr Wike stated this when he visited the club in Abuja on Saturday, to assess the facilities.
He said the renovation would begin under emergency intervention, with the Club House, where golfers wine, dine, adding that the other sections of the club would be renovated and upgraded in phases.
The minister disclosed that the club would remain closed until the renovation was concluded, in order to prevent it from degenerating.
He said the giant construction firm, Julius Berger construction company, which built the facilities in 1991, would handle the renovation.
Speaking on the importance of making the club a tourist centre to attract investments, Mr Nwike advised the Board of Trustees (BOT) to initiate innovative ideas for revenue generation to maintain the club instead of depending wholly on the government.
The minister explained that the BoT and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) were constituted to manage the club as government property.
He warned against any move capable of sabotaging government efforts, saying that it will not be tolerated.
The BoT Chairperson, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, while speaking earlier, had appealed to Mr Wike to renovate the club and upgrade its standard to be at par with the rehabilitated Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.
Dongban-Mensem, who is the President of the Court of Appeal, recalled that the club was built by the Federal Government and opened to the public in 1991, pointing out that the facilities at the club has worn-out due to excessive use over the years.
NIM
