Metro
59th FirstBank Lagos Amateur Golf Open Championship Tees Off
Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that the 59th edition of its annually sponsored Lagos Amateur Golf Championship Teed-Off at the golf section of Ikoyi Club 1938 on Monday, 28 December 2020.
The competition, which is one of the longest running international amateur events in the country is endorsed by the United State Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient (R&A) of Scotland. Preceding the 2019 event, the golf tourney reached the notable milestone of being listed amongst the golf tournaments in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
FirstBank’s sponsorship of the event is in recognition of its health benefit to players whilst providing a platform to enable golfers achieve their dream of global recognition and participation. According to Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School), the health benefit of golf includes the burning of calories and participants generate an optimal amount of endurance exercise for their heart whilst walking across the holes in the course of playing the game.
Last year, Peter Eben-Spiff made history becoming the first Nigerian ever to get listed in the World Amateur Golf Ranking courtesy of his victory in the competition and he is expected to lead a field of low handicap players in this year’s edition.
Eben-Spiff, who had maintained a top 5-finish in the last two editions before his victory last year, closed with a 76, for 16-over par, over 56-holes to win the R&A and USGA sanctioned Championship.
Apart from Eben-Spiff, players like Muyideen Olaitan, three times winner; Port Harcourt based S U Amadi, Uche Eze; two-time winner, Biodun Oyewoga and Policemen, Milo Ajah are some of the players to watch out for in this year’s edition. The 2018 edition was won by Sam Njoroge from Kenyan.
In what has become a tradition, the Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, reiterated the Bank’s commitment to the development of the competition.
“This tournament started 59 years ago, is now one of the international golf events which bring together the best amateur golfers in Nigeria. We are happy and appreciate the fact that this is a very important yearly activity in the golfing calendar in Nigeria, and that explains the passion, commitment and importance which First Bank of Nigeria Limited attach to it,” he concluded.
The three-day competition is a closed Championship that is open to Ikoyi Club members alone. This is organized in observance of the full Covid-19 protocols, the sponsoring outfit, organizers of the event, Concierge Sports explained.
The 56-hole golf tournament, to be played over three days would be rounded off with a grand finale and awards ceremony on Wednesday, 30 December 2020.
Troops of the 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have arrested a police officer found operating alongside bandits during a recent operation in Usmanu Village, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The arrest came amid a swift military response to renewed communal clashes between the Shomo and Wurkun communities.
The disputes had escalated into violent confrontations, resulting in property destruction, including the burning of houses.
During the operation, soldiers engaged armed assailants at the Fadama axis, neutralising four militants and recovering weapons, including three dane guns, a fabricated AK-47 rifle, twenty-five rounds of ammunition, and two motorcycles.
Investigations revealed that the arrested officer had been aiding the militia.
The officer is currently undergoing profiling to determine the extent of his involvement.
Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, Commander of 6 Brigade/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke, praised troops for their professionalism and swift action.
He reassured residents of Karim Lamido and Taraba State that the Army remains committed to restoring peace and urged communities to report suspicious activities.
The Nigerian Army emphasized that operations under Operation Peace Shield, Operation Lafiya Nakowa, and Operation Zafin Wuta will continue, urging citizens to cooperate fully with security agencies.
For seven remarkable decades, women have stood as pillars of courage, service, and resilience in the Nigeria Police Force. They are breaking boundaries, shaping operational excellence with gallantry, and championing the protection of vulnerable persons across the nation, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report.
This milestone celebration also provides a worthy moment to honour the transformative leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, whose administration has become widely recognized for its unprecedented commitment to gender inclusion and professional empowerment of women in the Force. Under his watch, female officers are not only rising to senior leadership positions but also leading innovations in policing strategy, operations, and public engagement.
Further, the strategic guidance of the Force Gender Advisor, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Aishatu Abubakar Baju, has opened new frontiers for Policewomen to contribute their full potential to national security.
To commemorate the 70 Years of Women Policing in Nigeria, the Zone 2 Police Command (comprising Lagos and Ogun States) used the opportunity to emphasize that gender-based violence, child molestation, rape, intimidation, and every form of abuse must have no place in our society. This was marked by a 5km sensitization walk around Onikan down to Falomo in Lagos on Friday, 28th November. Other events will continue till Monday, 1st of December, 2025.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, AIG Adegoke Fayoade speaking shortly after the Policewomen Walk celebrated the women in Police and urged the general public to shun gender based violence. ‘We say no to gender-based violence. We want gender mainstreaming, let all gender be given their proper place in the affairs of the nation. Our Policewomen are very gallant, supportive, professional, and innovative.’
A top female officer and AC X-Squad Zone 2, ACP Edinor Justice said: ‘We are grateful to God for the strength and commitment. We went out to create awareness on gender-based violence. We all know it is a menace not only in Nigeria but worldwide. It is not something that we cannot overcome, that is why we have created awareness to individuals, organizations, and institutions that we should come together to say no to violence, no to rape, and no to GBV. We pray that as we are celebrating the past, we are committing to the present, and inspiring the future.’
Another senior female officer, ACP Amina Yakubu added: ‘I am excited because today, women in Nigeria Police are celebrating 70 years anniversary of women policing in Nigeria. We say no to every form of gender-based violence.’
The Zonal PRO, Zone 2, CSP Ayuba Tunni Umma indicated: ‘We commend the initiator of this program, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun and our mother in person of AIG Force Gender Advisor, AIG Aishatu Abubakar Baju, for this great initiative. This has never been and it’s kind of first time, we want to say a very big thank you, because this has never been in the history of Nigeria Police, and it’s a good thing that we’re celebrating 70 years of women in policing. Just like my fellow colleagues have said, it is not easy being a woman, being a mother, and then pursuing a career in the police job. You know, you have a lot of challenges, but we’re grateful that women are growing, and then we’re soaring above and rising to the peak of our career in this it has not been so in the history but, with the present administration, women have been given the opportunities to play their strategic roles, to exhibit their full potentials in different areas of the police. We want to say a big thank you to IGP Kayode Egbetokun for being gender friendly IGP. We say a very big thank you to AIG Aishatu Baju for being the architect behind this new gender-inclusivity, then to our own father, the AIG in charge of Zone 2 command, AIG Adegoke Fayoade for his support always.’
‘The 5-km walk is more of a sensitization on gender based violence. We want to say women are important. We want to say no to violence against our children, because our children are leaders of tomorrow, We don’t want to begin to groom and raise our children in this kind of manner.’
The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, has charged Police graduands to uphold the highest standards of discipline, integrity, and service to humanity.
He stated this, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), during the convocation ceremony of Regular Courses 1 to 7 of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano, where he was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Dr. Anuma Ogbonnaya Nlia.
The Minister said the Academy remains a critical institution in Nigeria’s security architecture, producing officers equipped with world-class knowledge, ethical grounding, and operational competence.
“The badge they wear is not merely a symbol of authority; it is a reminder of the trust the Nigerian people place in them. Let your conduct reflect the values of transparency, accountability, respect for human rights, and strict adherence to the rule of law,” Gaidam stressed.
He added, “Today is not only a celebration of academic achievement but a reaffirmation of our commitment to building a modern, highly skilled, and professional Police Force capable of meeting the evolving security needs of our nation.”
The Minister pointed out that the graduands are joining the Force at a time when the nation faces complex security challenges, including insurgency, banditry, cybercrime, kidnapping, and violent extremism. “The responsibility is enormous, but the training has prepared them to confront these challenges with professionalism, courage, and sound judgment,” he said.
Gaidam expressed the Ministry’s commitment to the ongoing reform, modernization, and repositioning of the Nigeria Police Force, citing policy reforms, strategic capacity-building initiatives, improved welfare packages, enhanced training infrastructure, and technology-driven policing as key areas of focus.
He congratulated the graduands, their families, and all who have supported them on this journey, commending the Commandant, Academy Management, faculty members, instructors, and support staff for their dedication to grooming the next generation of police leaders.
