Oyo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, has said that sports tourism occupies a prime place in Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s agenda to expand the state’s economy through tourism and hospitality.
Olatubosun, who stated this on Wednesday, at a press briefing organised ahead of the Oluyole Golf Tournament 2025 billed to hold in August, said the governor has put in place several tourism enablers in sports, infrastructure and security sectors to maximise the tourism potential of the state.
He noted that sports remained an important part of tourism and hospitality, as most sporting events, especially golfing, drive massive movements into a state, with people lodging in hotels, going round to see tourism sites and patronising restaurants, bars and clubs.
He commended Governor Makinde for putting in place several success indicators that have helped tourism to develop, including infrastructure and security, stating that the forthcoming Oluyole Golf Club would enable participants to explore Ibadan and Oyo State because of the good road networks and secured environment put in place by the governor.
Olatubosun equally commended the organiser of the event, Mr Folarin Laosun, describing him as a great supporter of culture and tourism in Oyo State, noting that the Oyo State Government would continue to support stakeholders and investors willing to promote tourism within the state.
He said: “When I was coming in with the press crew, somebody said, Honourable Commissioner, why are you here? This is sport, and I told him that we have sport tourism as well. Sport is part of our class of tourism that brings many people to a state or a country.
“For us in Oyo State, anything that will support tourism, we are always willing and ready to support it. This is why we are here for Mr Folarin Laosun. Apart from being the initiator and convener of this tournament, he has been very supportive to our ministry.
“He played a very formidable role at the just-concluded World Egungun Festival that took place at the Liberty Stadium, which attracted many people and contingents from the South-West and even from the Republic of Benin.
“That shows that he has been a very strong partner or stakeholder in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
“Apart from that, my principal, the Engineer of modern Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde, is the number one tourism man in the state and he also happens to be a strong member of the Ibadan Golf Club. He believes in supporting the youth to grow. So, when I saw that Mr Laosun has come up with this golfing event, I believe that we should support him, and this is apart from the fact that the event will bring in a lot of people to our state.
“Anytime you have tournaments, you are bringing people to our state, and people will lodge in our hotels; they will go round and appreciate what the governor is doing. And also, they will wine and dine, and that will really help the economy of our state.
“We won’t be where we are today if the past governments had focused on success indicators that make tourism thrive. What are these success indicators? Security is one of them. You are bringing people here and they are willing to come because they feel the state is secure. Oyo State is one of the safest states in Nigeria today. Our principal came up with a security architecture that is really helping us in the state.
“The second one is infrastructure. We have a good road infrastructure. Even the upgrading of Ladoke Akintola Airport to international standard will also help attract more people when you are organising golf tournaments. People will be able to fly into Ibadan from all parts of the world.
“In addition, there is also the political goodwill. We just finished the International Tourism Summit where we had many investors. People are now coming into Ibadan and to Oyo State to invest in our economy.
“So, using tourism to expand the economy of our state is yielding a good result and we need to commend Governor Makinde for that laudable feat.”
Olatubosun also commended the Ibadan Golf Club for the transformation that had taken place at the Club, saying “I want to appreciate you for what you are doing in transforming and making a very strong legacy for the people.”
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Ibadan Golf Club, Mr. Seyi Alaba, commended the government for its consistent support.
He emphasised that golf could be a great tool for attracting investors and boosting the state’s profile, congratulating Laosun on adding another good competition to the golfing community and the golfing calendar.
Also speaking, the initiator of the tournament, Laosun, described Oyo State as a fertile ground for industrial growth and expressed his intent to expand his business operations into the state.
He said: “We started this tournament four years ago and we are expecting between 120 and 150 players from all over the country in this edition.
“This tournament started like a dream about four years ago and right now we are having the fourth edition. The first three editions we had in the past were just a day tournament and what we are having now is an open tournament, which means that we are going to have the amateur testing over two days and in the golfing community; that makes it a bigger event.
“I am happy today that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is joining hands with us to do this and I want to assure you that this will go a long way in order to boost tourism in Ibadan.
“So, we are looking at opportunities also in Oyo State; maybe to come in and set up our factory, probably an assembly plant as well, to expand our business into Oyo State. This is because we believe that Oyo State is a fertile ground for industries, and that is yet to be tapped.”
The 4th edition of the Oluyole Amateur Golf Tournament is scheduled to tee off from August 22 to 24, with 120 to 150 golfers expected to participate in the three-day competition.
