Steve Oma-Ofozor
Lagos
Some of the players participating in the on-going ACUTECH Golf Championship 2025 holding at the Ikeja Golf Club Lagos have expressed satisfaction at the monitisation of their welfare package.
The players who spoke under anonymity in a chat with SOKOnnect believed that the renewed welfare package system has redefined their status as professionals saying, “this new system of giving us our welfare package in cash has brought some relief to us; this is because it adds value to what we’re getting.”
“We’re professionals not amateur for crying out loud! Give me my package let me take care of myself, period! Today, food is not enough to go round, tomorrow another story, it’s not fair because it belittles the image of the professional players, we should be moving forward and not backwards,” they said.
This development is against the usual practice of the organisers directly bearing the burden of the players welfare as giving them ‘food and drinks’ which was deemed counter productive – incurring more expenses and the players not getting the value for their money.
Speaking on the new development, the Chairman CEO of ACUTECH Support System, Amaibi Emman Jituboh, affirmed that the decision was due largely ‘to simplify the system and for the players to have value for their money.
According to him, “Some of the reasons we decided to monitise the players welfare package was firstly to simplify the process and secondly to reduce the burden and then get the value of their money.
“It’s not everybody who likes to drink and not everybody likes eating much; sometimes when food is prepared for the players, before you know it, it’s finished, meaning some players don’t get to eat; what then is the essence of paying so much to prepare food!? the championship is about the players and nothing else, which implies that they have to be well taken care of,” the chairman noted.
The chairman concluding was quick to commend the players for appreciating his efforts in raising the bar for professional championships as he maintained that he was willing to do more to ensure that players get the best they desired in subsequent championships.
