By Ijendu Iheaka
February 6, 2017
Mr Ebi Egbe, Director, MoniMichelle Sports Facilities Construction ltd., contractor handling Enyimba Stadium in Aba, said the Abia Government had not shown interest in finishing the work on the stadium.
Egbe disclosed this in an interview with our reporter on Friday in Aba.
NAN recalls that Abia Sports Commissioner, Chief Chinwe Nwanganga, had on Thursday in Umuahia told the Abia Chapter of Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN) during an interactive forum to mark SWAN's 50 years anniversary that arrangements were on to complete the reconstruction work on the abandoned stadium.
Egbe said he was in Abia for talks with the government over the completion of the stadium a fortnight ago, but was disappointed as the promises made him were not fulfilled.
“My brother nothing is happening. Nothing. The Abia Government is not serious about the completion of Enyimba Stadium.
“If the stadium had been put in order, it would have generated a lot of money for Abia Government.
“Do you know how much money the state had lost since the stadium work started? If they could complete that stadium with 26,000 capacity, that is a very good source of IGR for the state.
“I have been going to Umuahia every week to meet them. What I get is one story today and another story tomorrow; my brother, I am tired. I will not lie to you,” he said.
The contractor said that time had passed when Nigerian politicians used completion of projects, at the end of their tenure, to get votes adding that Nigerians are becoming politically aware hence the need to complete the work urgently.
Egbe said the delay in the project would attract higher cost for completion because the job depended much on imported materials.
“A project that will cost you ten Naira today, if you let it delay for three years, when you come back to it, it will cost you fifty Naira.
“Our job is 90 per cent import-based. I started that job when the Euro was the equivalent of N272.00, but today it is N520.00 and that will impact on the final cost of the job.
“On my last visit, they said they wanted to give me N1.6 million, so I told them that the money cannot complete the job and that they should keep it when they have enough to do the work they should call me.
“It is not that I did not appreciate the money, I want to complete that job. I do not want a situation where they will give me N1 million today and it will take another four years before they can pay the rest. I don’t work like that,” he said.
Egbe said that in the last one month, the Abia Government has not contacted him while the finance and sports commissioners no longer respond to his phone calls.
“If they know what the Aba people are going through for not having that stadium ready, they will quickly fix it and bring Enyimba back home.
“When you play your matches outside your home ground, you will spend a minimum of N1 million which will go into payment for stadium, security, transportation and accommodation.
“They pay N1 million to N2 million everyday Enyimba plays a match away from home ground,” he said.
February 6, 2017
Mr Ebi Egbe, Director, MoniMichelle Sports Facilities Construction ltd., contractor handling Enyimba Stadium in Aba, said the Abia Government had not shown interest in finishing the work on the stadium.
Egbe disclosed this in an interview with our reporter on Friday in Aba.
NAN recalls that Abia Sports Commissioner, Chief Chinwe Nwanganga, had on Thursday in Umuahia told the Abia Chapter of Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN) during an interactive forum to mark SWAN's 50 years anniversary that arrangements were on to complete the reconstruction work on the abandoned stadium.
Egbe said he was in Abia for talks with the government over the completion of the stadium a fortnight ago, but was disappointed as the promises made him were not fulfilled.
“My brother nothing is happening. Nothing. The Abia Government is not serious about the completion of Enyimba Stadium.
“If the stadium had been put in order, it would have generated a lot of money for Abia Government.
“Do you know how much money the state had lost since the stadium work started? If they could complete that stadium with 26,000 capacity, that is a very good source of IGR for the state.
“I have been going to Umuahia every week to meet them. What I get is one story today and another story tomorrow; my brother, I am tired. I will not lie to you,” he said.
The contractor said that time had passed when Nigerian politicians used completion of projects, at the end of their tenure, to get votes adding that Nigerians are becoming politically aware hence the need to complete the work urgently.
Egbe said the delay in the project would attract higher cost for completion because the job depended much on imported materials.
“A project that will cost you ten Naira today, if you let it delay for three years, when you come back to it, it will cost you fifty Naira.
“Our job is 90 per cent import-based. I started that job when the Euro was the equivalent of N272.00, but today it is N520.00 and that will impact on the final cost of the job.
“On my last visit, they said they wanted to give me N1.6 million, so I told them that the money cannot complete the job and that they should keep it when they have enough to do the work they should call me.
“It is not that I did not appreciate the money, I want to complete that job. I do not want a situation where they will give me N1 million today and it will take another four years before they can pay the rest. I don’t work like that,” he said.
Egbe said that in the last one month, the Abia Government has not contacted him while the finance and sports commissioners no longer respond to his phone calls.
“If they know what the Aba people are going through for not having that stadium ready, they will quickly fix it and bring Enyimba back home.
“When you play your matches outside your home ground, you will spend a minimum of N1 million which will go into payment for stadium, security, transportation and accommodation.
“They pay N1 million to N2 million everyday Enyimba plays a match away from home ground,” he said.
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