Crusaderhotnews
To those who have left Ogbe Community in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State for several months and have decided to come back to it, will be enmeshed and lost in words to describe the community they once lived in.
This is due to the presence of the refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium located in that community.
The stadium which by all standards is likened to the Emirate Stadium in England, has the spelling of the person which it is named after, crested on some of the seats in an alphabetical order in sensitive colours, giving it a unique touch of class.
The statue of the former general and the then Midwestern state governor, Ogbemudia which was hitherto placed in an obscure position has been taken to the front of the stadium where every eye can see and doff his or her cap to the legend whose deeds have placed the state in a global arena in the area of sports and political administration of the then Midwestern states.
Recently, the stadium was test-ran by the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki in a novelty match where the Nigerian Football Federation's President, Amuju Pinnick and other notable ex-football super stars came to prove their worth, telling their old and newly cultivated fans that though they are old, yet they are still very much useful in the game of the round leather.
The flood lights in the stadium turned the darkness in the stadium into a broad-day light where even a pin if fallen to the ground can easily be seen and picked up.
And as the citizens of the state await earnestly to the official opening and the full utilization of the stadium as the state plays host to the forthcoming sports festival, those in where the stadium is situated have started dreaming big and counting their gains intense of naira and kobo.
They also have a dream of making new friends among the athletes and the spectators who will be thronging the stadium.
Speaking with the Daily Sun Correspendent, Nneka Okoye who deals in sporting kits said the presence of the stadium and the forthcoming event will boost their sales.
"It is a good idea and it will leads to growth of businesses in the area. We are looking forward to business promotion, investors from far and near and sales will be better than before. I think we like what the government is doing", she said.
Nneka who said she plays Lawn Tennis said while the governor has done marvelously well in bringing the stadium to almost completion, he should expedite action in the completion of the indoor games.
"I love and i play lawn tennis. The governor has really done well in the area of the stadium but I want him too to also beaming his searchlights on the indoor games and improve on them especially the basketball court, lawn tennis court, swimming pool. These are the areas I feel need more attention", she added
For Ernest Emmanuel who is a stylist who works in a barbing shop opposite the stadium, it is going to harvest of money time for him as he looks forward to having athletes across the globe to patronize him.
" I am happy because the stadium has made the place so beautiful.
We are going to benefit a lot from the forthcoming event because people will come to cut their hair here. The people that come here to cut their hair here are mostly the athletes. Since the renovation of the stadium, we have witnessed a great number of customers here.
"Besides the influxes of people to our store, it has also added beauty to the vicinity", Emmanuel said.
Also speaking, Believe Obaghayomwan noted that the stadium which has been reconstructed by the state governor is up to standard adding that the sports festival is a welcome development.
"It is a welcome development organizing this sport festival here. It will bring development, it will help people that do business around here to have a boost in their sales.
"The difference is cleared. With the renovation work that took place here, it is better than the previous one.
"Looking at the facilities they have here already, it is a good one. The stadium is up to standard", Obaghayomwan said.
For Innocent Ewolo, the governor has done his best in reshaping the stadium but he must also encourage the play to go to camp and train ahead of the competitions being the hosting state.
"We are expecting the forthcoming sport festival to be great because the government is spending much money in renovating the stadium and being that the 36 states are gathering here for the events.
"The event is going to boost the economic activities and otherwise but the only problem is that the preparations for the players for now is not that too serious.
"For the athletes, because by now, they have to be in camp training very hard because other states that are not even hosting, they are in camps.
"So, that is the angle I can say we are having a little constraint but I know with time, they will put that one in order", Ewolo noted.
He said for the now that the stadium has not been opened for use, as one who deals in sporting kits, they have not really witnessed any boom yet.
"It is going to be great and without mincing words, if the stadium is successfully completed, it is going to be one of the best in Nigeria even those of us in this environ, we are all happy that such a thing like this is coming up. So it is a great one.
"With this kind of project here and as the sport coming up, i believe it is going to boost up our sales here and it is going to attract international matches. So we are happy about that.
"For now, we do not have any patronage here because the stadium has been shutdown for over a year.
"The patronage is very low because nothing is going on in the stadium but it is the passers-by that have been helping us, picking one or two things.
"We are expecting more sales when the stadium is reopened and activities is fully back in the stadium", he said.
Also, Kingsley Okonkwo, said they can only start counting gains when the stadium is fully put into use adding that is their great expectation.
" I expect that business should grow. I expect that at least there will be uplift in our environment to show that business and otherwise is picking up but as we speak now, everywhere is dull.
"We expect that we will do well in business at that time when the festival is going on.
"Physically looking at the stadium, it is beautiful but it has not added anything to the businesses of the area for the now.
"We have not seen any dividends yet. It is when we see businesses now booming that we will now believe that the restructuring of the stadium is beneficiary.
"It is when we see that the footballers are coming in, other states are coming here to play ball, we see people coming from across the states are coming here to play ball or have a look of what is going on within the stadium, then you can now say that it has improved on the economy of the state", Okonkwo said.
For Blessing Osuma, the stadium has made the place so beautiful.
"We like the construction of the stadium. Before, the stadium was very dirty and I thank the governor for giving it a facelift and I believe that when the stadium is completed, it will boost the economic activities of the area.
"So I hope we will benefit from the sports festival", Osuma said.
0 Comments