Senator (Dr.) Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa

Please, Governor Okowa, Complete Stephen Keshi Stadium, Honour Stephen Keshi.

The secondary school I attended played some of its Bendel State (now Delta and Edo States) Principal Cup matches at what is now called the Asaba Township Stadium in the late ‘70s.  The place was a mere playing ground for children at that time.

In order to upgrade the play arena into a standard stadium, so that more and better competitions and championships could be held there, Chief James Ibori, who governed Delta State between 1999 and 2007, initiated the stadium project along with other stadia in the state.  The foundation stone of the stadium was laid in 2001, by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the then president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Unfortunately, Chief James Ibori’s administration could not complete the stadium as promised.  The project was seemingly characterized by undue politicisation, mismanagement of funds, and incompetence on the part of both the government of the time and the contractors handling the project.

After Chief James Ibori came Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan as the governor of Delta State.  Like Chief Ibori, Dr. Uduaghan also promised to complete the stadium, which was initiated by his predecessor.

He was quoted to have said, concerning his resolve to complete the project: “I have told God that I am not going to leave any abandoned project in this state.  We have been having challenges with the contractors in charge of this stadium. It was about becoming an abandoned project but this will not happen because it will be completed soon.”

In order to ensure that the stadium was completed as promised, Governor Uduaghan was reported to have invited Dr. Chris Kwakpovwe, founder of Our Daily Manna Devotional publication to the stadium arena.

Dr. Kwakpovwe, according to reports, was invited to pray along with the government against the evil spirits that dwelt within the stadium arena, which was formerly an evil forest (Ajo ofia), where the undesirables from the Asaba community were buried, and for the successful completion of the stadium.  Despite all those spiritual exertions, the stadium could not be completed.

Between the exit of Dr. Uduaghan and the coming in of Governor Okowa, the stadium project was simply a dilapidated structure.  An eyesore.

All over the body of the dilapidated structure was weather-beaten and rusted scaffoldings left behind by the contractors handling the construction work.  Inside the main bowl of the stadium had been overtaken by a tangled mass of tall grasses that provided a natural habitat to wild animals and criminals.

The blue long span roofing that would have given the place a beautiful look, if it had been completed before now, had themselves been blown away into different directions by the wind.   All over the place was a complete sign of neglect and waste.

But today, hope seems to be rising concerning the stadium project.  The current governor of the state, Senator (Dr.) Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, has also promised to complete the stadium before the forthcoming African Senior Athletic Championship (ASAC) coming up in August this year.

Will he deliver?  Most likely!

Stephen Keshi Stadium During an Inspection Tour of the Facility by Governor Okowa’s Entourage Recently Photo Source: Daily Trust

From the pace of work I saw at the stadium this morning, there’s every hope that the stadium project would be completed on schedule.  I hereby join hands with other well-meaning Deltans to pray that nothing would stop it from being completed.  Amen.

Dr. Uduaghan named what is known as the Asaba Township Stadium after Stephen Keshi in 2013.

Late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi

That was after, Mr. Keshi, popularly called ‘The Big Boss” coached the Super Eagles to victory in South Africa during the African Cup of Nations, AFCON, 2013 edition, and won the elusive Cup of Nations after a long wait of 19 years.

Since then till now that change is yet to be effected.  Everybody, including the government of Delta State, calls the place ‘Stephen Keshi Stadium,’ but what we have as a signpost in front of the Stadium is ‘Asaba Township Stadium.’

I want to use this opportunity, therefore, to appeal to Governor Okowa, in the spirit of continuity, to use his executive fiat to effect that necessary change, when he’ll be ‘delivering’ the Stadium officially to the people of Delta State.

My dear governor, I know you can do it.  Not because you’re from the same Anioma nation as

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, but because you seem to have a greater political will to do so.

How?  Because anybody who has the will to complete a project that was abandoned for more than 16 years would not find it difficult changing the signpost to read ‘Stephen Keshi Stadium’ instead of  ‘Asaba Township Stadium.’

Please, my able Governor Okowa, I enjoin you to complete the stadium as promised, and to also honour Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, by fulfilling your predecessor’s naming of the stadium after him.   Let the stadium named after him bear his name –  Stephen Keshi Stadium.

May the almighty God grant you the courage to do so.  May God also bless the duo of Chief Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan for their efforts towards the stadium project, even though they could not complete it.

God bless you all.