By Ado Salisu
Some members of the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja, have pleaded with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to please consider their appeal for the reopening of the club.
The appeal comes after a week-long petition signing exercise at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, where over 2,000 members expressed their support for the club’s reopening.
The petition, which was aimed at appealing to Wike to intervene and reopen the club, began on Tuesday at the practice pitch of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja and ended on Saturday.
The members emphasized the importance of reopening the club and commended the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) President Otunba Olusegun Runsewe for setting up a committee under the leadership of AVM B.D Solomon to drive the reconciliation efforts and petition signing exercise at the stadium.
Recall that the club’s leadership crisis led to the postponement of its 2025 Annual General Meeting and elections.
The IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja, had been embroiled in a leadership crisis, which led to the intervention of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Wike on April 5, appointed President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem as the Chairman Board of Trustees for the club to replace Gen. IBM Haruna.
Other new members of the BOT appointed were Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Mrs Grace Ihonvbere, S.l. Ameh (SAN), Hamid Abbo, Admiral Victor Adedipe, (rtd), Chief Patrick Chidolue, Mr Ben Ikokwu and Adumu Suleiman.
Gen Haruna, King Alfred Diete- Spiff, Dr Tim Menakaya and Amb. Babagana Kingibe, old members of the BoT were appointed as Patrons of the club.
Wike stressed that the intervention was as a result of the FCT Administration’s commitment to restoring order and efficiency to the prestigious club, which had recently experienced internal challenges.
However, three members dissatisfied with the move by Wike, secured an interim court order restraining the Minister from inaugurating a new Board of Trustees (BoT) chaired by Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on April 24 gave its ruling regarding the ongoing leadership dispute at the IBB International Golf and Country Club.
The Court restrained the purported trustees appointed by Nyesom Wike, the Honourable Minister of the FCT, from presiding over the Club’s upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for April 26.
In a bid to stabilize the situation, Minister Wike appointed a ten-member Interim Management Committee (IMC), chaired by Peter Deshi, to oversee the club’s administration.
To avert further unrest, the Federal Government deployed operatives of the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to secure the premises.
The facility remains under tight surveillance, with access restricted to essential personnel such as security officers and groundskeepers.
Even IMC members are subject to identification checks before entry is granted.
The members who supported the Minister’s intervention, however, expressed their desire for the club to resume operations, citing its importance to the community and the nation at large.
Iyabo Adebola noted that the members’ appeal highlights the need for a quick resolution to the crisis and the reopening of the club, which is a vital recreational and social hub in Abuja
Adebola said the members were willing to comply with the minister’s conditions for reopening, noting they were not part of the legal action taken against him.
“We are appealing to the FCT Minister to kindly consider our request to reopen the IBB International Golf and Country club for the fact that we are not part of the few persons who took legal action against him.
“We have come to agree that the club is owned by the government, and we are ready to abide by the Minister’s conditions for the reopening of the club.
“We have been fully briefed by the NGF President about the minister’s good intentions and support for the club.”
Nuhu Ahmad stressed that the petition signing exercise is seen as a positive step towards resolving the ongoing leadership crisis that led to the club’s closure.
Ahmad also assured that the members were willing to abide by the minister’s conditions and acknowledge government ownership of the club.
“The reopening of the club is not just fundamental for our health, but also our social network and the camaraderie we share amongst ourselves as members.
“We agree with the Minister that it won’t be business as usual as there will be a strict compliance with regards to club membership.
“We also thank the BOT Chairman and the board members for their display of maturity and respect for the law of the land.”
Matta Ushani said that reopening the club would have a positive impact on the community, providing a space for socialization, leisure, and sports.
A.U. Bala said the closure had affected the welfare of members, who are eager to resume their activities and social events, as well as enjoy the club’s facilities.
Pius James, on his part, said that the members were hopeful of finding a resolution to the crisis and restoring the club to its usual operations.
James said the members were optimistic about the Minister’s intentions and are eager to resume club activities.
The NGF President and BoT member of the club Otunba Olusegun Runsewe expressed his gratitude to all the members who turned out en masse to sign the petition.
Runsewe explained that the few people who went to court misunderstood the good intentions of the minister, stressing that all his decisions and plans were geared towards supporting the growth and development of the club.
He noted that the BoT members were given two major agendas by the FCT Minister to handle.
“We were given the mandate to go and organise a successful election and to amend the constitution to align with the realities on ground.
“The minister also promised to support the club, give it a face-lift and a befitting structure that suits our international standard, as soon as the BoT had achieved these two major agendas.
“By taking part in this petition signing exercise, our members have agreed to abide by all the minister’s conditions through the newly appointed BoT members of the club,” he said.
