Minister threatens to terminate pool contract if …

Solomon Dalong, the Minister of Youth and Sports on Monday threatened to revoke the contract for the refurbishment of the swimming pool at the National Stadium, Lagos for negligence by the contractors.

“You must complete the renovation within the first quarter of the year,’’ the minister directed, as he rounded up his tour of the facilities at the National Stadium, Lagos.

He described the unnamed contractors as playing political gimmick and pretending to be working because they got wind of his visit.

National Daily reports that Dalong visited virtually all sports facilities at the stadium. Among the facilities he visited include, the National Institute for Sports (NISports), the swimming pool, the main bowl and the Games Village.

The minister, who was furious at the end of the tour said: “I am disappointed at how you people are handling this job; you are only pretending to be working.

“This project must be completed by the first quarter of the year; if this is not done I will help you to do the job by collecting it from you,” he said.

Dalong also expressed disappointment at the poor state of the pitch of the main bowl, the tennis courts, tartan tracks said: “this is a case of abandonment, especially when an international competition was hosted on the facility in 2000”.

He was apparently referring to the joint hosting of the Africa Cup of Nation by Ghana and /Nigeria in 2000.

“The problem with Nigerians are their poor maintenance culture, which is affecting virtually all sports facilities,” the minister said.

Dalong said he was confident that he would make changes to the situation, noting that the past ministers might not have achieved much because they had short spell in office.