By Favour Goodness
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has called on Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra state to deliver the first stage of the Awka Township Stadium, Awka before the end of the year.
The body of sports writers made the appeal during a tour of the stadium on Thursday as part of this year’s SWAN Week activities in the state.
Anthony Oji, Chairman of SWAN in Anambra who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said the quality and extend of work at the stadium was impressive and satisfactory.
Oji said Obiano through the Anambra State Sports Development Commission (ASDC) had shown faith with the people of Anambra especially the sports community by giving the state s stadium that would turn out to be the best in the country.
He said a large chunk of the project had be executed including a grand stand, changing rooms, Olympic standard 8-lane tartan track while the hybrid football pitch had reached final stage
According to him, we hope that the finals of the Anambra Academicals Cup for U13 and U17 as well as finals of the Tertiary Cup will be played here before Christmas.
“We are here and we have seen for ourselves, a lot of this have been put in place and more are on the way, it simply means that Anambra is taking sports seriously, we must say it is a promise fulfilled.
“The contractor has been wonderful, we have seen so much finesse and attention to details which is why this is best of its kind in Nigeria today.
“While we thank the governor for what has happened here, we want to appeal to him to complete this first stage of this Stadium project as a Christmas Gift to Anambra sporting Community,” he said.
Oji who harped on the need to integrate the place of the media in the project by providing for press gallery said the government should consider allocating a parcel of land to SWAN within the Stadium complex for its Secretariat.
In his response, Tony Oli, chairman of ASDC said Anambra was interested in sports development and was determined to deliver the first phase of the project before the end of the year.
Oli said the idea of the stadium was to ensure that athletes in Anambra had a place for any type of game while assuring that the football pitch which was at the stage of laying the hybrid pitch would be completed and delivered.
He commended SWAN for their partnership role in Anambra sports Sector and promised to positively consider the requests of the association.
