The Enugu State Government has promised a speedy rehabilitation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, through the state Ministry of Youths and Sports.
The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Lloyd Ike Ekweremadu Jr., assured of the speedy rehabilitation of the stadium’s facilities after inspecting the stadium.
He said that government was prepared to develop all sports in the state, beginning with the rehabilitation of the stadium, to ensure that the state-owned Rangers Football Club plays their home matches there.
It would be recalled that the immediate past administration of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi paid N185 million for the rehabilitation of the stadium two years ago but could not complete it.
The Commissioner inspected the stadium on Wednesday in company of Mr Reymond Ngwu, Chairman, Enugu State House of Assembly on Sports, Youths and Security, among others.
“The maiden inspection tour of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is to determine the state of the stadium. We have seen the facility and state of disrepair of the stadium.
“We have assessed the whole place and seen that there is work to be done in the stadium so we will go back with our team and deliberate on the actual work to be done.
“From the dressing rooms to the seats around the stadium, bathrooms, roofing, we found out that there was some vandalisation in some areas, particularly the flood light and armoured cables.
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“The government of Gov. Peter Mbah is committed to the rehabilitation of sports facilities in Enugu State and Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is our flag off facility to be rehabilitated,” he said.
The Commissioner said that a building that bears the name of ”Zik of Africa” should not be in a state of disrepair, so the governor would want to properly repair and put it to use.
Ekweremadu said, “Enugu Rangers International is not supposed to be playing their home matches outside this stadium considering what they represent.
”The governor has made the rehabilitation of this stadium a priority to ensure that Rangers come back in the shortest time to play their matches at home.”
Also speaking, Ngwu, the Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Youth Development and Security, assured of his readiness to ensure the speedy rehabilitation of the stadium and sports development.
“We have taken a complete tour of the stadium, and you can see, the commissioner and I have a cordial relationship and that is why both of us are here.
“If what we need to do is to pass a bill or move a motion to make the government start work in earnest, I must not hesitate to do that.
”We are all working to actualize the dream of the state government for the citizens,” he said.
