Sports

National Stadium:Firm Expresses Worry Over Inferior Contractors

Published

3 years ago

October 26, 2022

A stadium facilities construction and maintenance firm, United Logistics, has accused the Federal Ministry of Sports of re-awarding the contract for the installation of the electronics scoreboard and laying of the tartan tracks at the National Stadium, Lagos, to an ‘inferior’ company despite the enormous resources made available for the project by the financier, Premier Lotto.
Recall that the Ministry of Sports was able to convince Premier Lotto to finance the rehabilitation of the National Stadium, Lagos, as part of its adopt-a-facility programme, which also accounted for the renovation of the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, by Dangote Group.
While the Abuja National Stadium job has since been delivered by Dangote Group, work on the Lagos arena is expected to be completed this year. However, United Logistics has warned Nigerians that the Lagos job may not live up to expectations due to an alleged abuse of the contractual procedures.
Stating its case in Lagos at the weekend, a United Logistics Director, Tox Osibanjo, affirmed that Kyle Next/Builders Consult is the main contractor, while it was contacted as consultants for technical support for supply and installation of the electronic scoreboard and the running tracks.
He said: “After an official presentation of Mondo tracks to Chief Adebutu Kensington (Baba Ijebu), who in his philanthropic gesture approved procurement of Mondo tracks and stadium electronic scoreboard, the contractors later procured what was different from the agreed tracks and scoreboard from Mondo.
“Mondo tracks and scoreboard were the original items presented at the Public Private Partnership (PPP) meeting in the beginning.
“We criticised the contractor for the unprofessional way it has been handling the entire project, especially, the planting of the natural grass and installation of the Casali track.”
Osibanjo accused the main contractors of trying to shortchange them, hence, the resort to inferior materials, adding: “Their refusal to prepare the sub-base and drainage according IAAF standard led to United Logistics’ refusal to install on a defective asphaltic track and blocked drainage.”
Osibanjo reaffirmed that United Logistics was contracted by the Federal Government to procure tracks for the renovation of the National Stadium, which it perfectly delivered in good condition.
He alleged, however, “we were contacted to prepare our technical team from Italy for pre-inspection of the stadium tracks to begin the final stage of installation of the track and all efforts made by our company for the payment of our balance proved abortive.
“To our surprise, we saw in the national newspapers, the usual government magic that an amateur company had been assigned the contract for the installation of the tracks- that United Logistics supplied.
“I want to reiterate that our company (United Logistics) was contracted to procure and lay the Casali track at the dilapidated National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. We delivered the tracks as specified. So, we were still waiting to get our balance for the purchase done, and then move to the next stage; which is to lay the tracks.”
“The government, instead of paying our balance, bypassed us to give the job to another company. That’s double standard, we just want the sports loving Nigerians to know that such arrangement can’t stand the test of time.”
Also speaking on the issue, Director, Experience Sport Facilities Limited and Mondo representative in West Africa, Oluwole Osaile, questioned the ability of the new contractors to deliver the tartan tracks to specification.
“It’s unprofessional that United Logistics are not allowed to complete the good job that they started. We have a track record together, at least, the tracks of Kaduna Stadium that our company laid since 2009 has stood the test of time in comparison to other tracks across Nigeria that have failed.”
Reacting to the allegations against the Ministry of Sports, Acting Director, Facilities, Okedairo Olatunji, said the complaints were misdirected. According to Olatunji, the renovation of the National Stadium, Lagos, is a product of the ministry’s adopt-a-facility programme, with Premier Lotto as the financier.
“It is not the business of the ministry to query our benefactor on his choice of contractor.
“Premier Lotto, in its magnanimity, is helping Nigeria to restore the National Stadium to its normal state after years of neglect. So, it has the right to employ any company it deems fit for the job.
“We are grateful to Premier Lotto for its gesture,” he said.

Sports

NDG: Rivers Coach Appeal To NDDC In Talent Discovery

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Chess coach Nnamso Umoren has appealed to relevant authorities, most especially the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to provide funds for scouting of hidden talents at the grassroots.

He stated that lack of funds is hindering most coaches from doing what they are expected to do; hence, they don’t have enough money to travel to rural areas to discover talents.

Umoren made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday, in Benin, Edo State, shortly after the second edition of the Niger Delta Games drew her curtains closed.

According to him, without coaches no athlete can perform better, as coaches are the ones that teach athletes the techniques and rudiments of every sport.

“I appeal to the commission to support the coaches with funds to enable them to go to the areas and discover talents. Lack of funds for coaches limits the extent to which they can move around within the state in search of talents.

“I am of the general opinion that without coaches, athletes cannot perform better; hence, the coaches teach them the rudiments of the sports,” Umoren said.

The Chess coach called on the Rivers State government to organise tournaments in the State to know the strength of athletes discovered, saying that will improve sporting activities in the State.

However, he commends NDDC, who are the major sponsors of NDG, and Dumamis Icon Limited for close to perfect organisation.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Rivers Sports Director Rates Niger Delta Games High

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Director of Sports, Obia Inyingikabo has that the just concluded second edition of the Niger Delta Games, held in Benin, Edo State, was very impressive and well organised.

She commended both the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Dumamis Icon Limited for the sponsorship and organisation respectively.

According to her, the problem of the team was the epileptic situation of shuttle buses, which was not under the direct control of the sports council.

Inyingikabo said this in a telephone interview with Tidesports yesterday; she confirmed that apart from the poor transport system for athletes, every arrangement went successfully as planned.

The director praised her athletes for making the State proud by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals during the games. She assured the people of Rivers State that in the next edition they will perform better and also used the opportunity to commend Rivers State promoting sports in the State.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Treat Bees, Silkworms As Valuable Resources – Don

Published

3 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

A Professor of Applied Entomology and Pest Management, at the Federal University of Technology Akure,(FUTA), Olufunmilayo Oladipo, has said insects such as bees ,houseflies silkworms and similar species should be seen and treated as valuable resources whose careful management could enhance food security, generate income, support industrial applications, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

Prof. Oladipo made the remark while delivering the 193rd Inaugural Lecture of the institution on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Citing the honeybee as a prime example, Oladipo noted that beyond honey production, bees provide beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and venom used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, while their pollination services significantly increase crop yields and biodiversity.

She also referenced silkworms, whose silk supports textile industries and export earnings, as well as black soldier flies and houseflies, locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and crickets which are increasingly used in the production of high-protein livestock and aquaculture feeds, thereby reducing dependence on expensive imported feed ingredients.

Speaking on the topic, “Six-Legged Arthropods: Food Security, Health and National Economic Development,” Professor Oladipo highlighted the multiple contributions of insects to national development in a monolithic economy like Nigeria, where over-dependence on crude oil has limited diversification.

She pointed out that insects serve as food for humans and feed for livestock, provide income for households through apiculture, sericulture, and insect-based enterprises, and supply raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial uses. Beneficial insects also enhance food security through nutrient recycling, biological control of harmful species and weeds, and pollination of crops and horticultural plants, resulting in bumper harvests and increased biodiversity.

Professor Oladipo further mentioned termites and dung beetles for their role in nutrient recycling and soil aeration, improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps, she explained, serve as natural biological control agents, reducing populations of destructive pests without harming the environment.

In the area of public health, Oladipo declared that though “the economic toll of insect vectors is staggering, stretching from the household to national economy, thereby undermining productivity, draining family resources, and constraining national growth, certain insects negatively affect agriculture, public health, and livelihoods”.

The professor pointed to the importance of understanding mosquitoes and other disease vectors such as tsetse flies, whose management is critical in combating malaria, yellow fever, dengue, sleeping sickness and other vector-borne diseases that weaken workforce productivity and strain national resources.

She cited data showing that malaria alone costs Africa over 12 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, and reduced investment. Beyond mortality, she emphasized, insect-borne diseases also contribute to morbidity, chronic disability, and reduced workforce efficiency, imposing heavy burdens on families, health systems, and national economies.

She referenced maggot therapy, currently practiced in teaching hospitals in Kano, as a safe and effective treatment for chronic diabetic wounds adding that bioactive compounds from fungus-insect complexes such as Bombyx batryticatus and Beauveria bassiana, which have been developed into medicines with anticonvulsant, anticancer, antifungal, anticoagulant, and hypolipidemic properties.

Weaver ants, bee venom, and cantharidin from blister beetles, she stated, also possess therapeutic value, including immune-boosting, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, and antiviral applications. She maintained that strategic government investment in entomotherapy could strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce pharmaceutical import dependence, save lives, and support national economic diversification.

According to her, these examples demonstrate that insects are not merely pests to be eradicated but strategic biological assets that, if properly managed, can enhance food security, strengthen public health systems, generate employment, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

The Agric expert noted however, that certain pest species continue to pose threats to agriculture and public health, thereby negatively affecting economic growth. She stressed that proper management, rather than indiscriminate eradication, is key to maximizing the benefits of these six-legged resources.

Professor Oladipo advocated integrated pest management strategies that prioritize environmentally friendly approaches, including botanicals, pheromones, biological control agents, growth regulators, and semiochemicals, while minimizing the use of broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides.

She warned that excessive reliance on chemicals has resulted in resistance, environmental pollution, and harm to non-target organisms. She also called for stricter regulation of pesticide importation and usage under professional supervision, and for stronger surveillance by regulatory authorities to prevent the introduction of exotic pest species.

To strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in entomology, she urged the government to support insect rearing and the conservation of beneficial species and to establish more Departments of Entomology in universities.

On the benefits of insects, she stressed the need for shifting societal perceptions and promoting sustainable practices, calling for stronger linkages between universities and industries to translate research findings into practical applications and commercial opportunities.

Professor Oladipo further appealed for increased funding for research and for targeted support for brilliant but indigent students in science-based disciplines, emphasizing that nurturing the next generation of entomologists and agricultural scientists is critical for national development.

Presenting the inaugural lecturer, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, FAS, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Professor Sunday Oluyamo, described Professor Oladipo as a distinguished scholar whose research has significantly advanced the field of entomology and strengthened FUTA’s academic and research profile.

The Vice Chancellor who described the lecture as ‘timely’, given Nigeria’s challenges in food security, public health, and economic diversification, commended the inaugural lecturer’s scholarly depth, resilience, and dedication to mentoring students, reaffirming FUTA’s commitment to research that addresses pressing national development priorities.