Emmanuel Ojeabulu, winner of the 61 st FirstBank Lagos Open Golf Championship has been
listed in the WAGR.
The premier golf championship which was held from 18 – 20 November at the golf section of
Ikoyi Club 1938 was keenly contested by over 190 low handicap players from several golf clubs
in the country. Benin based Emmanuel Ojeabulu won the 3-day championship.
Playing three-shots off the pace going into the last 18-holes, Ojeabulu played one of the best
golf of his life, maintaining steady pars for a closing 74, 3-over the course par to win the World
Amateur Golf Ranking recognized event by two shots.
Ojeabulu started his game with an opening 75, a second day score of 78 and a closing 74 to
replace Ilorin based Aminu Kadir, the tournament defending champion on the winners list.
Overnight leader, 20-year-old product of David Mark Golf Academy, George Paul who was
tipped to win the tournament collapsed under pressure closing with an unimpressive 79 to lose
by two-shots.
In the third position is Muyideen Olaitan, three-time winner of the coveted FirstBank Lagos
Open trophy while Iyare Osaze was further down on the winners chart by one-shot, leaving
perennial contender, Olajide Owolabi, who shot tournaments best score of 72 on day two of the
competition in the fifth position.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, sponsors of the annual Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship
has pledged its commitment to the continuous sponsorship of the tournament which is one of
the longest running golf tournaments in Nigeria.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 61 st edition of the tournament in Lagos on Sunday, the
Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan who was represented by Executive
Director, Chief Risk Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu said “This
year made it 61 years of our undiluted commitment to this cause, and we are absolutely
delighted with the amazing support and partnership we have enjoyed from Ikoyi Club 1938 thus
contributing to building a legacy not only for golf and golfers, but sports in its entirety.
To all the amateur golfers produced at this year’s championship, these champions are an
inspiration and testament that you can do the impossible and I look forward to celebrating you
as winners in future championships. Remember that in the words of Ben Hogan, “The most
important shot in Golf is the next one”, he added.
Satisfied with the turnout of the participants, Golf Captain, Tony Oboh thanked the sponsors for
keeping the tournament going, saying FirstBank commitment should be emulated.
“It is not easy to keep a tournament like this going, I therefore congratulate FirstBank for their
commitment”, Oboh said.
Since its debut, FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship has been the most
consistent and premier amateur golf event in West Africa and has produced great champions
most of who are competing in the elite professional golf cadre. Last year, the Championship
threw up Ilorin based Aminu Kadir who won the landmark edition. It is expected that this year’s
edition will produce another great winner.
Other FirstBank-sponsored sporting events include the Georgian Cup of Kaduna Polo
Tournament, sponsored for 102 years; the Dala Tennis Hard Court in Kano Club for over 30
years; the Obasanjo Pro-Amateur Golf tournament of Abeokuta Club now in its 6th year. The
Bank’s influence in the development of sport in Nigeria is under its First@Sport initiative.
About FirstBank
First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is the premier Bank in West Africa and the leading
financial inclusion services provider in Nigeria for over 128 years.
With over 750 business locations and over 189,000 Banking Agents spread across 99% of the
774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, FirstBank provides a comprehensive range of retail
and corporate financial services to serve its over 30 million customers. The Bank has an
international presence through its subsidiaries, FBNBank (UK) Limited in London and Paris,
FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal,
as well as a Representative Office in Beijing.
The Bank has been handy at promoting digital payment in the country and has issued over
10million cards, the first bank to achieve such a milestone in the country. FirstBank’s cashless
transaction drive extends to having more than 12million people on its USSD Quick Banking
service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code and over 4.5 million people on
FirstMobile platform.
Since its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with customers
focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimised risk
management and leadership. Over the years, the Bank has led the financing of private
investment in infrastructure development in the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the
Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation schemes. With its global reach,
FirstBank provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business opportunities that
are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive world-class brand and a credible financial
partner.
FirstBank has been named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” six times in a row (2011 –
2016) by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group; “Best
Retail Bank in Nigeria” for seven consecutive years (2011 – 2017) by the Asian Banker
International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards and “Best Bank in Nigeria” by
Global Finance for 15 years. Our brand purpose is always to put customers, partners and
stakeholders at the heart of our business, even as we standardise customer experience and
excellence in financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with our brand vision
“To be the partner of the first choice in building your future”. Our brand promise is always to
deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence. This commitment is anchored on
our inherent values of passion, partnership and people, to position You First in every respect.
Folake Ani-Mumuney
Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
First Bank of Nigeria Limited
