Project Is a Scam, Oyo APC Says
From Bola Ogunlayi, Ibadan
Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu and his Edo State counterpart, Governor Godwin Obaseki , former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar as well as the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick joined the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, to officially unveil the remodeled Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, Wednesday as the All Progressives Congress, APC, Oyo State chapter described the project as a scam.
Other notable Nigerians present at the event are, former Military Administrator of Oyo State during whose regime the Lekan Salami Stadium was initiated, General David Jemibewon (rtd), former governor of the state and the Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja and a former Super Eagles coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the event featured a novelty match between ex-Shooting Stars players 94/98 set and former Super Eagles players 94/96 set as well as a friendly match between the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) and NK Tabor Sezana, a top Slovenian league side.
The statement maintained that Teni, Taye Currency and QDot performed live at the unveiling ceremony, adding that the remodeled Lekan Salami Stadium is coming to life exactly one year after it was awarded to Peculiar Ultimate Concerns Limited through the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA).
According to Adisa, the project included the remodeling of the mainbowl, construction of a state-of-the-art media centre and a FIFA-standard studio with equipment, construction of FIFA-standard mixed zone including changing rooms, wet rooms, match officials’ rooms, referees’ rooms, doping control room, youth centre/ball boys’ room, clinic and others.
The new Lekan Salami Stadium is completed with modern floodlights, a remodeled Squash Hall, a new 50 metres by 30 metres multipurpose hall for Basketball, Volleyball, Handball and gymnasium as well as a Centre Court.
Speaking during the award of the project, Governor Makinde had maintained that the remodeling of the stadium is targeted at repositioning the state to attract investments, especially in the lucrative sports sector.
On the contrary, the interim Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, said the Adamasingba project under the Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde is a scam; he made this known while speaking after the Commissioning of the Stadium in Ibadan on Thursday.
The Stadium witnessed heavy drop of rain at the commencement of second Novelty match between former Super Eagles players and ex-3SC players before a tumultous of crowd including notable personalties of the society.
It was the turn of the Shooting Stars and their visitor from Slovenia to have their novelty match that got the refurbished field and players heavily drenched.
The APC argued that the #5.3 billion claimed to have been expended on the Turf could not be justified.
The remodelled stadium was commissioned on Wednesday, with Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders, including Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in attendance.
Olatunde however mocked the Governor Makinde , claiming that the rain has only exposed the weakness of the project. He questioned, “Why the pitch will be flooded and the roof of the stadium complex be leaking.
“Its a scam. I have search the internet to see many other world stadiums and I realised we have been scammed big time in Oyo State.
“How can you say you refurbished a stadium for that kind of bogus amount of N5.3 billion.
“In the whole world, with the amount of money spent on the stadium, I have not seen any stadium that will be flooded and the roof will be leaking on the day of inauguration. “That tells you its a scam, that is going to be the first project this government will say they are taken from the scratch to the end and now see that it is all fraud.
“The rain has done us a favour by exposing the scam and the fraud,” he said.
Lekan Salami stadium was first built in 1976 and opened in 1988. Fans at the commissioning of the remodelled Lekan Salami stadium, on Wednesday, witnessed a novelty match between the All stars of Super Eagles of Nigeria and All Stars of 3SC Ibadan, including Governor ‘Seyi Makinde; it ended 1-1.
Some of the former Nigerian players that played the match included, Austine Okocha, Tijani Babangida,Taribo West, Abiodun Baruwa,Victor Agali,Mutiu Adepoju, Dimeji Lawal among others.
