Chief Seye Omisore is the owner of SGI Consulting Engineers Nigeria Ltd and a consummate golfer. In this interview conducted by OLAWALE OLANIYAN, Omisore, a member of Ibadan Golf Club, reveals his passion for the sport and why he always creates time out of his busy schedule of handling of power generation and distribution and construction of bridges for a living. Excerpts:
How did you come into golf?
It was during the era of Admiral Toye Sode (retd) as the governor of Oyo State. I wanted to see him and he asked me to come to the Ibadan Golf Club. Though, it was a trick because all along, he had been telling me about golf and I believed that those who played golf were lazy people then. I normally played squash and I believed it was more energetic than golf. Admiral Sode arranged with Colonel Odunsi Davis who happens to be my uncle that whenever I came, he should take me round the course and along the line, I became reckless. I was tired moving round and I said I thought this thing was easy and everybody began to laugh. Admiral Sode said ‘we have got you a golf set and we have paid for ten lessons with Professional David Owoyemi’ and since that day, I have embraced golf and I have never turned back. I love golf and I thank God for it.
What was your biggest challenge at the initial stage?
It was not easy playing the ball, I mean a small ball and the club which has a small head, it is too technical in the sense that if you are not patient, you may quickly give up but being a squash player myself, I said practice makes perfect and luckily for me, I had Pro David Owoyemi who exposed me to the rudiments of the game. He’s the Pro of this club [Ibadan Golf Club], he kept encouraging me and day after day, I was improving too. In fact, golf is a very addictive sport, the more you play, the more you want to play and here I am today.
How has been your romance with IGC?
Let me first of all thank the founders of this club. I’m passionate about any club I join. When I was playing squash, I was the first person with two other persons who built a fibre glass squash two in Ibadan and that is my life. Once I want to do something, I want to do it well. So, when I joined IGC, I kept talking to myself that anything I can contribute to this club, whether in terms of knowledge, financial or other wise, I will do so. I am happy to tell you today that when I joined this club, we played on what is called Brown, it is a sand mixed with diesel engine and we always sweep it everyday and we pot.
Then, Engineer Yomi Salami was the captain of the club. He approached me saying he wanted me to be a chairman of the committee to do a study on how we could convert our course to Greens, all the 18 holes, for me to carry out the study, whether it is feasible or not. I did that and submitted my report to him and he said again, ‘I want you to be the chairman of the committee to build the place’. So it was my responsibility to raise fund, design the Greens and recreation. I thank God that He gave me the opportunity to do so and we were able to raise the fund with my knowledge and the support of others. We converted our Browns into Greens, now we have 18 holes Greens. So, Yomi Salami was the initiator, he had a vision and I thank him for this great initiative so also Barrister Abiose and the rest. They all did well.
Your 70th birthday celebration is approaching…
[Cuts in]. I turned 70 in October and I went to celebrate with my family abroad that month. But my friends say they want to celebrate it in a big way with a tournament and this informed the 70th birthday golf tournament [which ends today]. I appreciate this kind gesture and I am looking forward to it.
What does golf mean to you?
It’s life and I have a passion for the game. After my engineering work it is golf. I play golf and ‘eat’ golf. Golf is science. On the golf course, you can determine your opponent’s character. Golf will expose you if you are a cheat, if you are honest it will also show. If you are hot-tempered, golf will reveal it and if you are a cool-headed person, it will show. I want more people in Nigeria to embrace golf. I want to see more golf courses everywhere. If you are aware, the President of the United States of America, Barrack Obama is a basketball player but now, he’s a golfer. Most sportsmen – footballers, boxers, basketballers – play golf for recreation. So, if you ask yourself, what is it in golf? You can easily fall in love with golf, it’s like a woman, the more you play, they more you want to play.
What is your assessment of the growth of golf in Nigeria?
I’m very impressed because individuals are building golf courses in their villages nowadays. The man who built MicCom and Country Club, Ada, Mr Tunde Ponle is an individual and I understand that there is another one in Ilaramokin. Former Senate President, Senator David Mark, built a golf course in his village and very soon, I believe more Nigerians will build golf courses in their localities.
What about your assessment of the Professional Golfers Association of Nigeria?
In Nigeria we have talents in all areas of human endeavours but we need infrastructure and the encouragement to get things right. We have about five professional golfers here at IGC and I know they can do well if they get sponsors. In the rest of Africa, like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Morocco and Tunisia they all have golfers and good golf courses and sponsors. They support golf like football. Here we need corporate bodies and individuals to sponsor our professional golfers to regular tournaments. They are starved of tournaments because there is no financial back-up, that is a big problem. If I have the opportunity to become the president of this country, I will tell big companies who are benefitting from Nigeria, each of them must sponsor tournament annually, maybe through the tax they are supposed to remit. Having N5 million to N10 million worth tournament would attract professional golfers across the country. It is when they practise and compete locally that they can go out and compete internationally and perform well.
Is it feasible to introduce golf into secondary schools?
Yes, that will be fantastic. Tiger Woods was playing for a college before he became a golf legend. I don’t know why the University of Ibadan can’t play a golf competition with the Obafemi Awolowo University. When we were young there was what we called Junior Academicals, we played football tournaments among ourselves, likewise athletics. So, golf can also be introduced into schools. For instance, you can book IGC and bring interested students from schools to come for training, maybe twice a week until they catch up. This method can be tried across the country. One day, the products of this programme would play at national level and the winner of such tournament can become Tiger Woods of tomorrow but everything depends on thinking and organisation. IGC is good, Ikoyi and Ikeja Golf clubs are there.
Have you played in any international tournament before?
Yes, I have played outside the country before but just to enjoy myself. I have played all over Africa, ditto America and Europe. I’m not qualified to play tournaments because we are called amateurs, we don’t earn money. I only play to keep fit.
You’ve given a lot to golf, apart from the construction of this course, what is the most significant thing you have gotten from the game?
Personally, I have continued to gain sound health. Golf is a game that is being recommended by medical doctors because if you play 18 holes, you’ve covered six or seven miles for five hours and anytime I have my medical, my doctors always say I am okay and I know the reason is golf. I also derive happiness from associating with golf because the environment has effect on one’s brain and I am happy that I have always encouraged professionals as well kids, sponsor them to tournaments and their performances always give me joy.
Discussion about this post