Sports
ELITE Global Golf Academy (EGGA) has produced the second batch of global Class A golf Professional from Professionals Golfers Association of South Africa (PGASA).
Chief Executive Officer of EGGA, Uloma Ogbuokiri, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja, during the Thanksgiving and special celebration of Mark Oseni’s achievement.
“We are thrilled to honor our very own Mark Oseni, who has recently achieved the prestigious A-Class Golf Professional certification,” she said.
Ogbuokiri, popularly known as Lady Pro said: “We educate existing golf professionals and upcoming golfers as to the business angle and profitability of the golf industry in Nigeria on a regular basis.
“We have raised the standard to world class.”
She said the Professional Golfers Association Certificate which Oseni acquired was recognised in over 40 countries.
“We have PGA Nigeria, South Africa, and all over the world. It is a body of Golf Professionals. The standard and recognition is not the same.
“One is the educational standard; in Nigeria, it’s a one year course, while in South Africa where we graduated from, it’s a three years course.
“A year’s programme cannot be compared with that of a three or five-year programme.
“The Knowledge, exposure and experience acquired can never be the same.
“Today, we are actually here to welcome the third batch of A Class in Nigeria golf professionals from South Africa,” Ogbuokiri said.
She noted that though the process had not been easy, she expressed gratitude to God for the successful completion of the training by the golfer in South Africa.
Ogbuokiri, however, lamented the challenges of the golf business in Nigeria, stressing that the free fall of the naira against the dollar had been very challenging.
She disclosed that Oseni started the programme when a dollar was exchanged for N400 and later jumped up to N800.
“Imagine now that he graduated, you should calculate what a dollar is because tuition fees are paid in Rands.
“It is a challenge because it was over six times of what he was supposed to pay,” she lamented.
In his remark, Oseni, who said the journey was not easy, thanked God and the Ogbuokiris’, whom he described as his mentor and godfather.
He also thanked his family members for their contributions to the success of his training. (NAN)
30th September, 2024.
C.E.
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