Ikoyi Club 1938 bubbles as race for DOAM charity tournament begins

They have come from clubs within and outside Lagos to the Ikoyi Club 1938 to take part in the qualifying series for the ninth edition of the annual Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial Foundation (DOAMF) Charity Golf Tournament, which holds tomorrow. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments involving the crème of Nigeria’s amateur players.

The players drawn from Ikeja Club, Lakowe and Smokin Hills, among others are fighting for the right to get into the Draw for the Final of the event billed for March 30, 2019 at the same venue.‎

The tournament is an annual event instituted in memory of Master Daniel Ogechi Akujobi About DOAMF, who died from injuries he sustained in a fatal highway accident on his way back to school along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Ogun State, Nigeria. He was the only son of his parents.

Since the inception of the competition nine years ago, thousands of lives have been touched through the event that pulls golfers together to commit to charitable projects through the DOAMF platform. The organisers say they are looking forward to another year of impacting indigent communities through the game of golf.

According to the Coordinator of the Organising Committee, Pat Bassey, the Foundation hopes to leverage this year’s tournament to break new grounds in the number of people reached and to sustain the tradition of accountability to all stakeholders.

“From the proceeds of the 2018 event the Foundation reached more than 2,500 people, of which 14 were added to its full academic scholarship roll – making a total of 26 beneficiaries on the Scholarship Support program. In the year 2018, 8 beneficiaries of this program successfully graduated from various Universities and Polytechnics. The scholarship recipients are in all tiers of education, from primary through tertiary education. The goal this year is to raise the bar on all fronts.

“We are also very pleased to have committed volunteers come out yearly to serve passionately, in addition to committing financial and material support, helping us meet and serve the less privileged. A number of them are very busy corporate executives and business owners who make out time to serve, being evidence of strong identification with the objective of bettering our society through the DOAM Foundation.”

The funds generated through the DOAMF Charity Golf events are channeled to support social causes in the specific areas of education, health and medical intervention within needy families and communities.

Bassey also highlighted some of the projects embarked on in 2018 which included; free medical treatments carried out for indigenes of Wera Community, Ikorodu, Lagos State and replicated outside Lagos State, for indigenes of Alamala Community, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and which impacted on more than 1,000 beneficiaries comprising children, youth, adults and senior citizens.

“The Foundation also held educational programs for students of Randle Senior Secondary School, Apapa Senior Secondary School, and United Christian Senior Secondary School, all in Lagos, where entrepreneurial and social skills, and etiquette, were taught in addition to donations made to the schools,” he added.

He added, “As in prior years, the goal is to reach further and create more impact on deserving families and communities. So we need more support and, as always, we are committed to work even harder.”