Asaba Township Stadium to be Completed in the Next few Months – Okowa

By Miracle Enuji

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has said that the Asaba Township Stadium will soon be completed under a Public-Private Partnership, disclosing that the Stadium is the approved venue for the 2018 Senior African Athletics Competition billed to hold in the state.

The Governor stated this on Saturday June 3, 2017, during the statewide town hall meeting for Oshimili South Local Government Area, which held at Grand Hotel, Asaba.

Highlighting some key successes within the past two years of his administration, Okowa said that completion of the Stadium Project was key to the development of the State Capital Territory and also to promote sporting activities in the state.

He decried the challenges which has marred the construction time frame of the stadium noting that the state is now ready to accept private investors to fast track the completion of the Sports center.

“The Stadium at Asaba is a huge Challenge, it has moved from one contractor to the other and unfortunately it is still where it is. We are trying to work with a private investor to come in, to complete it and we can pay as a state gradually overtime.”

“The first thing that has to be done is, we have to renegotiate the current contractor out of that place and then get the new person to come in. We are working on that quickly and by the Grace of God, I think they are going to achieve that.We need to speedily complete that Stadium because we have concluded as a state that we are going to host the African Athletics Competition in 2018 and that means we must get that stadium ready in the next few months.”

“We are working very hard to negotiate the current contractor out and we are confident that the  investors who are coming in are ready to take up that Stadium as quickly as possible to completion. The expectant thing is not just the question of the Stadium itself but the parking arena and that is where we are having Challenges.”

The Governor urged the Commissioner for Housing to engage the Sports Commissioner to speedily put forward the proposed parking arrangements for the Stadium to avoid any further delay because the competition has to hold in the State Capital as agreed by the Athletics Confederation.

The Asaba Township Stadium project which was started by the Uduaghan’s administration, has been an object of mockery for the Delta State Capital following its obvious abandonment, absence of parking arrangement and various failed contract arrangements.