From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The commencement of the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) to be hosted by Delta State is in jeopardy as a result of the collapse of a section of the multi-purpose sports hall which is under construction. The sporting fiesta, which was earlier postponed, is billed to commence on November 28.
But the collapse of a section of the ongoing construction of the sport hall located within the premises of Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, has cast another doubt on the eventual date for the kick off of the games.
Our correspondent learnt that it is not the first time facilities are collapsing in the stadium complex. In 2018, an over head water tank crashed from the stanchion. The following year, the scoreboard at the main bowl also fell.
In the latest incident, a section of the top floor of the two-storey building crashed as workers were working frantically to meet deadline. Casualty level has not be ascertained as multiple sources claimed that three persons suspected to be construction workers were feared dead while two others sustained injuries.
“We were working when suddenly the place collapsed. I was on the other side when it happened. And they now ordered us to leave the place.
“I think people were there when it happened and they would be injured or even dead,” a source said.
Another source said three persons were feared dead, adding that two persons broke their legs and were rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, a team of journalists, who were among the early callers at the site, were bundled out of the place on the orders of the chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa.
Okowa, who is also co-chairman of the local organising committee for the festival tagged Asaba 2022, ordered his boys to confiscate the working tools of the journalists. Handing out the order, Okowa said: “take them out of this place, journalists are not needed.”
But when his boys were reluctant in carrying out the order, he shouted, “are they still here, collect their gadgets and bundle them out of here.”
The boys, in carrying out the order, beat the journalists, hitting them with sport gun and other objects. Despite the beating of the journalists, the state government said there were no deaths recorded in the incident, and that workers have since returned to site.
Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, said: “Contrary to reports of loss of lives only one person sustained minor injury and has since been treated while other workers have also returned to site.
“The accident was caused by the crane operator who couldn’t properly align the lift while trying to take up some very heavy duty equipment up the particular floor and it fell on the wall which led to a crash of a part of the wall.
“One person sustained minor injury and has since been treated and they have returned to work. The workers are very much on site and we are moving with speed.
“The unconfirmed reports of loss of lives is not true and anybody saying the Stephen Keshi Stadium has come crashing down is also peddling the wrong information.
“As a matter of fact, the stadium is undergoing some renovation work ahead of the National Sports Festival.
“The contractor has assured us that in less than 48 hours the part of the wall that collapsed on account of the misalignment of the crane would be fixed.”
However, the All Progressive Congress (APC) insisted that the collapse resulted from the use of sub-standard materials.
But the minister of sports, Sunday Dare, recently inspected the building and other facilities for the festival before the incident. Dare was reported to have given a pass mark, saying the facilities were 80% ready for use.