By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna
Niger State Government has assured football fans and supporters of the state’s owned football club, the Niger Tornadoes football club who are currently trading tackles at the Nigerian Premier League side, that the football club would by the second stanza of the ongoing League matches be playing all it’s home matches at the Minna Bako Kontagora Stadium.
The Niger Tornadoes football club has been forced by the football League Management Committee to play all it’s home matches away in Lokoja following the disqualification of the Bako Kontagora Memorial Stadium as a no fit venue because of it’s substandard state and facilities, poor crowd control checks, and sitting arrangements and general infrastructure.
Work on the upgrading of the township stadium which was begun since last year was stalled due largely lack of commitment from the state government.
However, following pressure from sports loving personalities and concerned sportsmen, the state government has mobilised resources for the resumption of repairs and upgrade works at the stadium.
The state government said it has now intensified work at the stadium to ensure speedy completion of the project so that the football club could play it’s remaining matches at the resumption of the second stanza of the League matches.
The state’s Director of Sports, Baba Sheshi Katcha said the state government had responded to the yearnings from sports loving personalities and fans of the Tornadoes Football Club to release the required funds for the completion of the work at the stadium.
The Director of Sports assured that work on the project would be intensified just as he promised that quality would not be compromised in ensuring that the stadium is made of a quality standards befitting international stadia.
A visit to the stadium on Wednesday morning confirmed that work was ongoing though much spirited speed and impetus needs to be resurrected.
Our sports correspondent observed that the work on the dressing room at the stadium has been completed while construction of the seats at popular stand was almost through.
Work on the playing pitch where the old grass turf had been peeled off, needs to be pushed with alacrity. The handlers of the project must ensure that portions of the field with contours and undulated parts are well levelled to guarantee an even, flat surface of play.
Work on the extension of the seats at the popular side should be done with corrugated iron rods and metals for long lasting.
Mr. Sheshi Katcha said the facilities at the stadium would be made beautiful to match standards befitting international matcHTM
