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LAGOS APRIL 14TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Tony Okowa has described as untrue story making the rounds that N1billion released by the state government for construction works of Asaba Township Stadium has been misappropriated.
“I want everybody to know that work currently going on at Asaba Stadium is a contractor-financed project,” Okowa told The Guardian during the week on phone from the Gold Coast, Australia, venue of the on-going 2018 Commonwealth Games.
There was a media report earlier this week that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had released N1billion for the project and that the money was misappropriated by the supposedly trusted handlers. The report further stated that the governor had expressed serious anger over the way the project earlier billed to be completed in April, 2018 had abysmally failed, and as such, had constituted a three-man probe panel to look into the fraud.
But an angry Tony Okowa revealed that there was no iota of truth in the story saying: “This is certainly the work of mischief-makers, who are doing everything possible to prevent the government from completing the project. As I said, the work is a contractor-financed project, and as we speak, government has not released one kobo to the contractor. He will get his money as soon as the job is completed.
“There are some people whose major work in the state is to cause trouble by crying wolf where there is none. They move from one location to another trying to paint people black because of their selfish interest. But they won’t succeed because the Governor is determined to complete the stadium on time for the hosting of the African Senior Athletics Championship in August,” Tony Okowa stated.
According to the newspaper report, the contractors last Monday allegedly demanded for the sum of N2.5 billion to enable them complete the project, a demand that reportedly angered Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.