By Emma Jemegah

With the Lagos National Stadium nearing completion, one of the firms contracted to work on the stadium has alerted of substandard materials being used for the job.

Tox Osibanjo, the Director of United Logistics, while lamenting the replacement of his company halfway into the contract, said he’s crying out to ensure “our nation is not shortchanged, to protect the interest of lovers of tracks/field sports and of course, the sponsors of the renovation being carried out.”

“As a professional company, we want to state that Kyle Next/Builders Consult is the main contractor while our company (United Logistics Limited) was contracted as Consultants for Technical Support for supply and installation of the electronic scoreboard and the running tracks.

“After an official presentation of Mondo Tracks to Chief Adebutu Kensington, who approved the procurement of Mondo Tracks and Stadium electronic scoreboard before the appointed contractors later turned around to procure what was different from the agreed Tracks and Scoreboard from Mondo. Mondo was the original presentation to the PPP in the beginning.

“As a management, we criticised the contactor appointed by the government for the renovation of the national stadium for its unprofessional conduct in the way it has been handling the entire project, especially the planting of the natural grass and the installation of the Casali track.”

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Osibanjo alluded that because the main contractor didn’t want to pay the contract balance to United Logistics for importation of the Scoreboard and Tartan Tracks hence their refusal to prepare the sub base and drainage according IAAF standard which led to United Logistics refusal to install on a defective Asphaltic track and blocked drainage.

“Despite my company’s criticism of shoddiness and unprofessional manner the renovation work is being handled, the main contractor decided to contract the laying of the track in the usual Nigeria ‘rush rush’ manner to another unprofessional contractor for the laying of the National Stadium’s tartan tracks, an amateur company without proven experience on installation of prefabricated running track in Nigeria and without an IAAF installation license.”

He  said United Logistics are the sole representatives of Casali of Italy in Nigeria, the manufacturer of the Tartan Track and a sister company to Mondo spa which is the world leading supplier of tartan tracks and Olympic supplier since 1978.

Osinachi said his company is known for sophisticated sports facilities and world class production of sports surface construction, athletics formworks, road construction and renovation, artificial turf for soccer field and Indoor Sports Flooring, Admixtures and Chemicals for Renovation of Dilapidated Stadium Stands, Beams and Slabs.

“We were contacted to prepare our Technical Team from Italy for pre-inspection of the stadium tracks so as to begin the final stage of Installation of the track and all efforts made by our company for the payment of our balance proved abortive.

“To our surprise, we saw in the national newspapers, the usual government magic that an amateur company had been assigned the contract for the installation of the Tracks- that United Logistics supplied.