After more than 10 years of striving to get buy-in from administrators and corporate entities, Nigeria’ witnessed its first net zero sporting event, formerly named ‘The Green Tee Golf Kitty’ now as ‘SustainabiliTee Golf Greensome Tournament’, which made its grand debut in Ikoyi Club 1938. Organized by organizers of The Diplomatic Games Week and The Trade Relations Cup, according to the organizers, the tournament is in support of United Nations Sports For Climate Action Framework, while advancing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with focus on SDGs 13, 14, 15 & 17. It is in view of this that major climate-driven state institutions like Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Office of Senior Special Adviser to The Governor of Lagos State on Sports threw their support behind the initiative. When asked how the tournament intended s to promote netzero agenda, Sòókò Deji Ajomale-McWord, CEO of Diplomacy Publishing & Events organizers of the event said that the tournament is the first where golfers were forbidden to use plastic tee pegs or take plastic pet bottles of drinks or water beyond the refreshment point. He added that there’s penalty for flouting the rules. “This is an audacious attempt to advance campaigns against plastic pollution, air pollution, reckless greenhouse gases emissions. It is audacious because not every individual Nigerian or corporate entity is interested in sustainability as a subject. It explains why it took us more than ten years before this event could make its debut. This is also why we are grateful to all the government agencies and corporate brands that have thrown their support behind the event”. Sharing his thoughts on the nobility of the event idea, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Otunba Femi Pedro decried plastic pollution in Lagos and praised Lagos State Government for banning stryrofoam as one of the biggest single use plastic pollution. He remarked that, among sports, golf is the most viable platform to advance the campaign of environmental sustainability. “Golf itself is an environmentally friendly sport. There are lots of greeneries and fresh air. Everything about golf is green. This tournament has been quite interesting and we have enjoyed it thoroughly. I am in full support of this tournament and I desire for it to be a regular event, to continue sensitizing people about environmental protection, particularly in Lagos. “As you know, Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria, in one corner bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Ogun State. Yet, it is home to over 20 million people, so it is crammed, thereby generating millions of tons of wastes, a lot of which are plastic. Our people throw plastic around and these plastics are not biodegradable. Our waterways are filled with these plastics which impact negatively on agriculture, fishing and waterways transportation. “This is why this tournament is one of the best things to happen to our country at this time, but we must advance this campaign beyond the golf course. This campaign needs to reach the masses”, he added. Speaking to newsmen after the tree planting ceremony, which took place on hole 16 of Ikoyi Club 1938 golf course, Dr.Joseph Onoja DG of Nigerian Conservation Foundation said; “what we are witnessing here today is citizens taking action into their hands to green our cities. In other parts of the world, people are no longer talking about how to bring gardens into the cities, but how to bring cities into the gardens. Tree planting in an urban area like Ikoyi is quite encouraging. And as a proponent of bringing gardens into our cities,, this initiative in its entirety is noble. “We must, however, not stop at just planting the trees, but also nurture them. So, as we plant the trees today, we hope and pray that the trees grow. So that they can play their roles in protecting the ecosystem and contribute to reduction in urban temperature. We must thank and commend the efforts of the organizers who took it upon themselves to drive this initiative onto fruition”. One of the players that participated in the tournament was Nigerian Ex International, Jonathan Akpoborie who played for Super Eagles of Nigeria and won U-17 World Cup for the country. Akpoborie who now plays golf as an amateur decried how climate has become so unfriendly, compared to when he was growing up. Dr. Tunde Ajayi expressed enthusiasm and optimism about the future ahead of the event. In his remarks, he mentioned how it is important to first push sustainability around sports that are primarily green. Golf as one of the sports where one is compelled to preserve nature, highlights the importance of keeping the environment green and sustainable. “I am excited about it and the turnout has been overwhelming. We need more platforms like this, where we can use sport as a tool for the promotion of sustainability. “LASEPA is happy to be part of this — from the tree planting ceremony to the ceremonial tee off and the round of golf itself. I am confident that this will attract more government agencies and international organizations that are saddled with environmental sustainability, at the next edition, which I am sure will be way bigger,” he said.