BARELY 48 hours to the kick-off of this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup, Nigeria 2009, virtually everything that has to do with the cadet championship is in disarray, as no money has been released by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to put things in place, even as various project managers for the championship were, as of Wednesday, running helter skelter to ensure a hitch-free event.
The Nigerian Tribune’s checks revealed that preparations for the opening ceremonies on Saturday might have run into a hitch as about 1,000 school children commissioned for the callisthenics display have been abandoned in one of the barracks in Abuja without being fed and given any money, while the 35 musicians engaged for the ceremony have stopped their rehearsals on the grounds that they have not been paid by the organisers.
The school children, as of Wednesday afternoon, were unable to go for rehearsal as there was no vehicle to convey them to the Abuja National Stadium.
Apart from these, the environment of the stadium is unkempt, as grasses around premises of the stadium, purposely constructed to host the eighth All-Africa Games, in Abuja, are left uncut. Officials of the LOC were seen, on Wednesday, making frantic efforts to ensure that the grasses were cut before the opening ceremony.
“This is a serious matter. Honestly, things are in disarray here. My fear is that as things stand today, the country faces a serious disgrace. Unless something urgently is done, the opening ceremony is threatened seriously,” said a member of the LOC who asked not to be named.
“The school children that are engaged for callisthenics display on Saturday have been abandoned in the barracks, where they are camped. Till now, we are yet to raise money to feed them and cannot even get a vehicle to convey them to the stadium for rehearsal . As if this is not enough, the 35 musicians scheduled to take part in the opening ceremony have boycotted preparations for the events. They have not been paid any allowance.”
Meanwhile, a visit to the secretariat of the LOC at the Hilton Hotel revealed that all is not well with the organisers. Everything was at a standstill when the Nigerian Tribune visited the place. Staff were unable to take vital decisions, as top officials, including the Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer Mainasara Illoh, were not around to direct affairs, few hours to the lack-off of the global football fiesta.
It was gathered that about 50 laptops meant for effective operations at the LOC have been appropriated by a top government official (name withheld), while the various sub-committees are starved of funds to make last-minute preparations for the championship.
Meanwhile, a member of one of the sub-committees who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that the situation on the ground was embarrassing.
“There is confusion everywhere. The project man does not have money to operate; the man is just running from pillar to post.
“The chairman of ceremonial committee is confused. He can’t even feed the children who will perform at the opening ceremony. Accommodation for those kids is zero; no communication gadgets; no internet and facilities for journalists.
“I hope Nigeria will not be disgraced. You can’t believe it, a member of a committee was locked out of his hotel today (Wednesday). “We were told that the Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Local Organising Committee (LOC), Mainasara IIlo and the chairman are scheduled to meet at 10 p.m. today, hopefully to salvage the situation.”
However, a visit to the secretariat of the world football-governing body, FIFA, shows a complete contrast to what obtained at the LOC. The FIFA secretariat, also situated at the Hilton Hotel, is well co-ordinated. Officials went about their duties in making the cadet World Cup, which begins with the opening match between Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets and their German counterparts, on Saturday, a big success.
In a related development, security was, on Wednesday, beefed up at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, where matches at the Lagos centre would be played.
Heavily armed policemen cordoned off parts of Surulere, resulting in an untold hardship to hundreds of thousands of Lagos residents. Mostly affected were roads and adjoining streets leading to the ever-busy Mushin, Ojuelegba and Teslim Balogun Stadium.
Anti-riot policemen mounted roadblocks and grilled passers-by, while others carried out routine patrol in the neighbourhoods. No fewer than 10 armoured personnel carriers were seen by the Nigerian Tribune maneouvering around the major roads and other access routes ostensibly to fend off likely troublemakers.
Scores of policemen were seen around the stadium as early as 10 a.m. while some positioned themselves at all the entrances to the stadium to stop and search people coming into the stadium.
Also, commercial vehicles and okada riders were barred from plying the Ojuelegba-Masha-Kilo-Aguda axis. Many commuters had to resort to walking while commercial drivers had to take alternative routes to get to their destinations.
The presence of heavily armed policemen with close to 10 patrol vehicles had attracted the attention of residents of Surulere, many of who wondered why the security measure was being put in place, considering the fact that the World Cup had not yet begun.
Meanwhile, finishing touches were being put to the facilities in and around the stadium when the Nigerian Tribune visited on Wednesday. Many Lagosians who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune wondered why the state government had to embark on the last minute rush to complete facilities, having been given the hosting rights many months ago.