4 Battling For Survival As Stephen Keshi Stadium Collapses In Delta

Four persons are battling for survival at the hospital as the Multiple Sports Complex at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State, collapsed Thursday morning.

This may not be unconnected with the speed at which the construction work was going, doubting the integrity of the buildings under construction.

The two-storey building was under construction in preparation for the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) to be hosted at the stadium from November 28, this year.

Two out of those who were injured were treated while others were rushed to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Asaba for emergency treatment.

Among those battling for survival were construction workers (welders) simply identified as Henry and Sodiq, at the site of the building.

Some journalists, who were at the site to assess the level of damage, were bundled out of the stadium on the orders of the chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa.

Okowa, who doubles as co-chairman of the local organising committee (LOC) for the festival tagged ‘Delta 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 guns and other objects.

The State Commissioner of Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, when contacted, said the work continues as scheduled.

“All relevant government agencies have long mobilised there to ensure safety. I was at the stadium and work is ongoing on the project,” Aniagwu said.

He insisted that nobody died in the incident and challenged anybody to mention those that died and their sexes.

Recall that the collapsed building was recently inspected by the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, and the structural engineer gave a pass mark, saying that the facilities were 80 per cent ready

In 2019, during the African Athletics Championship in Asaba, the water tank besides the swimming pool inside the stadium collapsed.