N37m spent to light Abuja Stadium -NSC

Posted by admin Headlines, Soccer, Sports Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Despite that the National Stadium, Abuja is still in total darkness, the National Sports Commission (NSC) says it has spent a whopping N37.238 million to restore electricity at the main bowl of the stadium.

It would be recalled that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Abuja Electricity District Company, Engineer Abdulganiyu Umar, had said in first week of last month that he had just sent his men to inspect the magnitude of damage and ascertain the length and cost of the armoured cable vandalised at the stadium November last year.

In his words: “We are trying to find a way to restore the vandalised cable. I must confess to you that the cable is very expensive coupled with the fact that the cable vandalised was very lengthy and would require huge amount of money to purchase it. I have sent people this morning (Monday, November 5) to assess the situation and ascertain the length of the cable required. We have also got letter from the DG of Sports Ministry in connection with this issue.”

However, in the 2011 Budget Performance, the commission submitted to the National Assembly in January this year and made available to Daily Sunsports, NSC disclosed that it had already paid an engineering company, Adokson Eng. Co Ltd, the more than N37 million for the replacement of the damaged armoured cables and other sundry maintenance electrical works at the stadium.

Reflected as serial number 21 in the 72-page document, the commission, wrote under payee, details and the amount columns: “The commission paid Adokson Eng. Co Ltd, the sum of N37,238, 595 for replacement of damaged armoured cables, electrical fitting and services of electrical panel at National Stadium Package A, Abuja.”

Meanwhile, despite the claim by the stadium manager, Arch Katmwan Dunse, said that the request for fund to overhaul the power generating sets in the stadium was ignored, the commission further claimed that it spent N5.484 million on replacement of generating sets. Arch Dunse had, while defending the negligence that resulted in the death of the natural grass at the main bowl, noted: “The generating sets are still working, but we requested that they be overhauled because each of them has a time lag within which it must be worked on. We have brought the issue to the attention of the management, but unfortunately nothing has been done about it.”

However, the commission’s budget performance claimed to have paid a contractor, M/S Richcc Bonafide Ltd N5,484, 986 for rehabilitation of mechanical workshop in the National Stadium Package A Abuja for servicing and replacement of part of generating sets.

-Sunwp_posts