Fears that the state of the art facilities being put in place at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin for the 20th National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020 may not be properly maintained has been allayed by the State government.
The Deputy Governor of Edo state, Comrade Phillip Shaibu Tuesday in Benin said that the government will send a bill on Asset Management Agency to the House of Assembly to
ensure that the maintenance of the facilities are guaranteed.
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Speaking shortly after conducting journalists round the facilities, he said the law on their maintenance was necessary to ensure that any government that comes after the present one that is not interested in sports would not allow the facilities to deteriorate.
“I can assure you that an Asset Management Agency will be set up and it will backed up by law. We are going to take the bill to the House of Assembly for its legislation, ” he said, adding, “that way when a government that doesn’t like sports like the present one, the
facilities will not become worse than we met it.”
The Deputy Governor who is also the Chairman of the Edo 2020 Local Organizing Committee said that the government will go into partnership with the private sector in this direction.
He disclosed that the contractors working on the facilities will deliver on time before the opening ceremony on March 22 as they are working round the clock to meet the deadline.
“When the Sports Minister (Sunday Dare) visited last week, some of the facilities had not reached the stage they are in now. The workers are on a 8-hour shift and work 24 hours and we are sure they will meet the deadline we gave them,” he stressed.
This year’s National Sports Festival will kick-off March 20.
