16th November, 2012
With few days to the 18th National Sports Festival, tagged “Eko 2012,’’ the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has yet to complete the renovation of the three designated Games Villages for the fiesta.
Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, are still under renovation.
A check by the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN showed that renovation of the Federal College of Education Games Village has not started and contractors were not sighted mobilsing to the venue as at the time of this report.
At YABATECH, one of the two hostels, (Bakassi), that would host athletes, was being painted, while the other (Augustus Aikhomu) had not been touched.
There was no sign of any fumigation going on at YABATECH and painters were seen hurrying up to beat the deadline, but refused to speak to NAN.
At UNILAG, only one out of the four hostels visited by NAN was still under renovation and the contractors were painting the building and the rooms.
NAN reports that the lights have been fixed at the hostel, while carpenters were working on the doors, but the windows and the mosquito nets had yet to be fixed.
Some plumbing works were also being carried out in the toilets.
Painting of the Indoors Sports Hall was going on and the handball and volleyball courts were also being renovated by contractors who simply said that they were in a hurry to finish their jobs.
The halls to be used are Madam Tinubu, Henry Carr, Jaja, Erastus Akingbola, Sodehinde, Fafunwa, Moremi, El-Kanemi, Queen Aminat, Makana Bida, Biobaku, Eni-Njoku and Kofo Ademola.
An official of UNILAG, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that the renovation had not gone round all the remaining 12 hotels to accommodate contingents from the states.
“Out of the 16 hostels we have here, contractors have started work on just four of them, after which they will go to the others,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Uthman Okunnu, Secretary, Accommodation and Welfare Sub-committee of the LOC, declined to comment on the late facelift of the Games Villages.
He, however, said that everything that needed to be done on the Games Villages would be completed before the formal opening of the villages scheduled for 24 November.
“Contractors are working hard at the Games Villages to ensure that they beat the deadline given to them. I can assure you that the renovation will be completed before 24 November,’’ Okunnu added.