The House of Representatives committee on sports has raised concerns over a N2.65 billion allocation in the 2024 budget for the installation of solar lights and perimeter fencing and repair of steel cable structure/roof membrane at the Main Bowl and Velodrome of the Abuja National Stadium.
To this end, lawmakers summoned the minister of sports development, Senator John Owan-Enoh for questioning, seeking clarity on the substantial budget earmarked for the project.
The chairman of the committee, Hon.Kabiru Amadu, grilled the Minister during an interface meeting of the committee with the minister and other officials of the Ministry of Sports Development at the National Assembly.
The lawmaker noted that the Minister was only interested in numerating the challenges facing the Ministry without pointing out any single achievement of the Ministry under his watch.
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“Hon Minister, what you have said so far were about your challenges. Can you tell us the achievements of your Ministry in the last one year and also throw more light on the N500 million for solar street light for National Stadium, Abuja, N1,7billion for perimeter fencing also for the stadium and other budget allocations for the stadium, so we can understand better,” Amadu queried.
Responding, Senator Enoh said the 2024 budget implementation is still ongoing and told the lawmakers that since his assumption as the sports minister and subsequent relocation of his office to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium brought live to the stadium which hitherto was like a graveyard.
The Minister John Owan-Enoh who oversee one of the Team Nigeria’s worst performances at the Paris 2024 Olympics where the country recorded zero medal after spending a whopping N9bilion, listed the concession of the National Stadium in Surulere,Lagos and the passage of the National Anti-Doping Bill by the both chambers of the National Assembly as his major achievement as sports minister under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.
“As one of the things my leadership as the Minister has been able to accomplish apart from the Anti-Doping bill which we were not able to achieve for many years, is signing off the memo to cabinet office to give final endorsement to the National Stadium Lagos concession. I have pursued it with seals and passion because I didn’t think that the facility located where it’s now should remain in the state it’s currently characterized in,” he Said.
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