Games Village Contractors Get One Week Ultimatum …Ahead 17th NSF

Contractors handling various projects at the new Garden City Games Village in Port Harcourt have been given up to June 18, 2011 to complete their jobs and vacate the site or lose  five per cent of their outstanding payments.

Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State gave the directive last Wednesday after a meeting with the Local Organizing Committee of the National Sports Festival at the games Village in Port Harcourt.

The governor explained that apart from the main bowl, “we have told the rest contractors that they must quit site on June 18, 2011, and if they did not, whatever money we are owing them, we would deduct five per cent from their outstanding payment”.

Governor Amaechi said the contractors have been communicated and they have agreed to it, pointing out that the Swimming Pool contractor is to leave site on Sunday, while a committee has been set up to ensure compliance.

The State Chief Executive, who had met with the committee to fine tune strategies for the smooth hosting of the games, disclosed that the choice of the games village as venue for the meeting was to enable members of the committee see things for themselves.

On the gains of the festival to Rivers people, the governor said the micro-economy of the people would be greatly enhanced, stressing that the state government may not have tangible gains in terms of cash flow, but there would be improvement at the micro economy which would rob off on the macro level.

He noted that already some companies have contributed to the hosting of the sports festival while the state has used the opportunity to improve on its infrastructure, including power supply.

Commenting on Team Rivers, the Governor said the athletes have been motivated enough to deliver gold medals to the state and the state would be glad to win the festival because the athletes are going to compete based on their performance capacity.

According to the governor, we are working hard to deliver the facilities; you can see the swimming pools which are ready, basket ball, volley ball, lawn tennis pitches completed, while efforts are on to complete Hockey and football pitches before the games commence.

Governor Amaechi said the state is putting finishing touches to the facilities as everything appears to be ready for the festival.

Also speaking, former Super Eagles Captain, Mr Kanu Nwankwo who was on the entourage of the state governor, said Rivers people are lucky to have Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as Governor as he is the first governor in Nigeria to put the kind of structures found in the games village in place.

Mr Nwankwo explained that the quality of facilities indicate that the sports festival would be successful and beneficial to the Nigerian athletes as the facilities are among the best in the world.

“From what I have seen, we are going to get the best from our people, they have good facilities and therefore, they cannot give excuses, but to do their best and from here we can see those we can pick and help to send abroad to bring the best from them” Nwankwo said.