Akure: 10,000-seater stadium turned cattle grazing field, criminal haven, dumpsite

Across the globe, sporting activities are regarded as a very important component of the socio- economic fabric of any nation, given the diverse ways it contributes to development. Government across all levels in Nigeria have always played crucial roles in the promotion sports in the country, and till date, Nigeria remains a force to reckon with in the world of sports.

Ondo State, the Sunshine state, is not an exception, as many athletes representing the state have won many medals at local and international levels. This may not be a far-fetched reason the administration of late Dr Olusegun Agagu decided to put in place a state-of-the-art, 10,000-seater capacity stadium in the capital city of Ondo State, Akure.

However, the N5 billion project, which was initiated in 2008 by the Agagu government, never saw the light of the day, as the project was at its 25 per cent construction stage when the Agagu-led administration lost power in 2009, after the Appeal Court sitting in Benin declared Dr Olusegun Mimiko as the winner of the 2007 governorship election in the state.

A visit to the site of the new stadium by Nigerian Tribune showed that the structures and the whole site had been overrun by weeds, while residents complained that hoodlums had made the place their abode. Apart from this, it was also revealed that herdsmen planned and carried out various atrocities from the new stadium complex, hiding in the thick bushes inside the stadium.
Nigerian Tribune, September 19, 2017

 

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