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Olugbemi. Adeyinka Ogunleye
1 month ago
Overview
CIO Golf Classic set to boost prize purse to N100m in 2026
Chief Ikenna Okafor, Chairman of Keeves Global Leasing and organizer of the CIO Golf Classic in Port Harcourt, has revealed plans to raise the tournament’s prize purse to N100 million ($70,000 USD) for the next edition scheduled for November 2026.
The announcement comes after the successful conclusion of the 6th edition at Python Golf Club in Port Harcourt, which awarded a N75 million ($50,000 USD) purse and featured the presence of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the closing ceremony. Speaking in Lagos over the weekend, Okafor outlined his vision to elevate the CIO Golf Classic into Nigeria’s premier golf tournament and integrate it into the Safari Tour in Kenya, leveraging international currency pegging to maintain global appeal.
According to him, “The truth is that I have a big dream for the CIO Golf Classic. We are happy that we had a successful tournament this year in Port Harcourt where the professional golfers competed for N75 million purse but we are going to make it bigger next year with a purse of N100m or $70,000 USD.” Okafor further stated that the long-term goal is to eventually grow the prize purse to $1 million USD within the next ten years, positioning the CIO Golf Classic as a major event on the African and international golfing calendar.
Credit: Daily Trust
