From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The contractor handling the Moshood Abiola stadium, Abuja, has announced that the stadium would be ready to host football and other sporting activities by next month, May.
Fielding questions during an inspection of the project on Monday, the Executive Director, Avon Nigeria Ltd, Adeniji Adesoji, revealed that the seed for the grass imported from Europe that will be planted this week and would be lush green by the end of this month.
Adesoji lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the contract completion date, assuring that the stadium would become fully operational in a month’s time.
“The contract was awarded last year under the programme of adopt-a-pitch policy, the brainchild of the Minister, Sunday Dare. We took over the project on August 31 last year and ever since we have been working according to the programme specifications.
“We would have handed over by now but we had issues with the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because the main pitch involves us bringing into the country, hybrid seeds from Europe. It affected us. All the components of the scoreboards to be imported from Europe too also affected us.
“As I speak with you, we had issues with the pitch, particularly the underground system like the sprinkler, but with the help of the ministry, we have surmounted it.
“The underground drainage system has been completed while the sprinklers have arrived the Lagos airport ready to be brought into Abuja to be installed this week.
“The seeds are also in the country and we are supposed to start planting the grass seed this week and by the end of this month, the grass will be lush green at both the main pitch and the nursery.
“We have also installed all the damaged cables. The ministry was also magnanimous with us in taking over the control room and putting it under good control.
“The control room is now functional and once the scoreboard comes, we will install, test and handover.
“The stadium will be completed in a month or half.”