The former Plateau State Governor, Sen. Simon Lalong, has hailed the development recorded in Nasarawa State since its creation 30 years ago and called for more investment in golf to boost hospitality and tourism.
Lalong stated this on Tuesday at Lafia Golf Course during a Kitty organised to mark Nasarawa State @30, where he teed off alongside other golfers.
He said Nasarawa, which was carved out of Plateau State, has done well in tourism and needs a standard golf course to complement its hospitality drive.
“You can’t do tourism without golf. Anytime you have a good golf course, people will come in to relax, and when they come to play, they ask what kind of business to do,” Lalong said.
The former Governor, who is Vice Chairman of the Golf Federation of Nigeria, said he decided to sponsor the golf Kitty to celebrate Nasarawa @30 and to foster cordial relations between Nasarawa and Plateau states.
Sen. Lalong, while praising the state’s growth, said the Lafia Golf Course has the land, beautiful topography and friendly weather to host a championship 18-hole course.
“I enjoyed the front nine and the back nine, but the course is still challenging. It is very easy to build a complete 18-hole, par-72 course here. The land is there,” he said.
He appealed to Governor Abdullahi Sule to deploy equipment to maintain the fairways and greens, noting that the lack of a tractor and mowers remains a handicap for the club.
“Nasarawa is doing a lot of farming and mining. It is the same tractors you use there that you deploy to shape fairways and greens. The grasses here are very good, like Port Harcourt grasses,” he said.
Also speaking, Gov. Abdullahi Sule, represented by Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr Jibrin Ibrahim, said the government is committed to grassroots sports development and will ensure Nasarawa becomes a hub for sports and youth empowerment, with emphasis on golf.
On his part, Mr Tony Effa, Captain of Lafia Golf Club, and National Media Officer of the Nigeria Golf Federation, Thaddeus Yilmen, said investment in golf, one of the most prestigious games in the world, could not be undermined.
They called on the government and the private sector to key in, as well as partner to develop the game.
