Golfers and golf enthusiasts converged at the serene Ibom Golf Club in Akwa Ibom State for an International Golf Tournament to mark the 61st birthday of the President of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio.
The event was formally opened from Hole 1, by the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, who felicitated Senator Akpabio on his birthday and lauded him for his contributions to the game of golf in Nigeria.
The tournament had golfers from various golf clubs, including, but not limited to, IBB International Golf Club, Abuja, Sealord Golf Club, NNS Pathfinder-Port Harcourt and the host, Ibom Golf Club. The players included Rt. (Hon.) Usenobong Akpabio, Captain Ibom Golf Club, Ibrahim Alhassan Babayo, Vice-Captain, IBB International Golf Club, Abuja; SENATOR Emmanuel Anosike, Former Captain, IBB International Golf Club, Abuja; and Rt. (Hon.) Asuquo Nana Udo, Member, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, among others.
However, the Star-boy of the tournament was Lewis Dandyson, a ten-year-old golfer representing Sealord Golf Club, NNS Pathfinder, and Port Harcourt. He thrilled fellow golfers, caddies and spectators with his deft swings and shots. Lewis, who started playing golf at the age of three, had his mother, his mentor and fellow golfer, as his caddie. His dream, he declared, is to turn pro by the age of nineteen. He further stated that he has been invited to represent Nigeria in an invitational tournament in the USA. He charged young people to hold onto their dreams, keep the faith, trust the process and persevere to witness, in his own words, “the Uncommon fulfillment of Uncommon Dreams”.
The event came to a close with merriment at the clubhouse.