ASABA TOWNSHIP STADIUM: CAN OKOWA TRANSCEND SPIRITUALISM?

The Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa recently endorsed the completion of the abandoned Asaba Township Stadium. This is coming about 17 years after the foundation of the stadium, christened as “Stephen Keshi Stadium” was laid by former President Olusegu Obasanjo.

In this piece, JOSHUA ERUBAMI, looks at the prospect of Governor Okowa completing what his predecessors could not achieve in 16 years.


The Delta State Government recently approved the completion of all outstanding works in the abandoned Asaba Township Stadium. The approved areas of work, according to the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, will include the wholesome completion of the spectators’ stand/tartan track of the stadium that had become a good home for reptiles and wild animals.

The granting of the completion consent by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was one of the several decisions reached at a meeting of the State Executive Council held in Asaba this week.
Obviously, this is one of the many abandoned star projects with which the Okowa administration can boost its achievement gallery only if it will be smart enough to expend a little cash in claiming their glories that have unceremoniously remained fallowed.

Like I once iterated, if the current administration is willing to consolidate on the gains of its predecessors, there are legion projects it could reactivate/revalidate their workings just to put finishing touches to them and make them come alive.

Some good examples of such projects are the N35.2 billion Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Oghara and the miserably failed multi-billion Naira Warri Industrial Park at Edjeba that were callously dumped by the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration.

Asaba Township Stadium 

Sadly enough, other countless projects that could have made Delta as economically viable as Lagos State still lie untouched, with an unthinkable amount of billions and trillions of tax payers money drowned from the state’s coffers.

Although Okowa's spirited interest in the stadium is laudable, the development, once again, brings to fore the high profile rots that have rocked the Delta State Government since 1999, particularly in the area of projects execution.

Journey to Asaba Township Stadium

It was former Governor James Ibori who conceived and initiated the construction of the 18,000 seater multi-purpose Asaba Township Stadium in 1999. The 17 years old project was embarked upon alongside others, including Jay-Jay Okocha Stadium, Ogwashi-Uku, Ughelli Township Stadium, Warri Township Stadium, Oghara Township Stadium, Oleh Township Stadium, and Sapele Township Stadium.

At present, virtually all of these stadia have turned into shadows of themselves and become natural habitat for wild animals as well as dens for hoodlums. They are only rehabilitated when there are important political functions like the recent mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held at the Sapele Township Stadium on Saturday (June 23, 2017).

The foundation of the edifice that once dominated the Asaba skyline was laid by erstwhile President Olusegu Obasanjo in 2001. It is on records that the contract sum of the project was virtually paid in full. Yet, a visit to the site today still reveals the relics of unpatriotism, crass incompetence, purposelessness and willful misappropriation of funds by the administrations predating the subsisting one.

Okowa, Ibori and Uduaghan 

While commenting on the stadium, a columnist, Okungbowa Aiwerie wrote that: “The stadium is a bleak hollow shell, discoloured by algae that have grown on the terraces and its wall", adding that "it cuts the picture of neglect and waste associated with successive administrations."

He noted further that “Adorning the entire stadium are scaffolding left behind by the delinquent contractor. The main bowl of the stadium is a tangled mass of tall grasses providing natural habitat to wild animals. The blue long span roofing has been blown off in many sections into the compound of houses whose owners have gratefully seized them to mend their leaking roofs.”

Obviously, what the writer forgot to add was that part of the stadium has been turned into a worship centre while the leftover parts have been hurriedly lent out to small scale entrepreneurs.

The Big Question

The recurrent question that has consistently been on the minds of Deltans is, “why is the Asaba Township Stadium yet to be completed?”

Asaba Township Stadium overtaken by grasses 

In his response, a former Commissioner for Information in the State, Mr. Chike Ogeah claimed that the facility lacked sufficient space to accommodate necessary expansion, hence the stalled development.

But Ogeah’s boss, Governor Uduaghan saw another challenge which, perhaps, was the main ‘koko’ of the matter. He believed that spiritual forces were fighting against the completion of the project.

The former governor’s claim may not be unconnected with the fact that the landmass where the stadium is situated was originally designated by the Asaba community as an evil forest where the undesirables of the community were buried. It was therefore inferred that some evil forces were fighting back to reclaim what was ‘rightfully’ theirs.

As part of its response to the situation, the Uduaghan administration terminated the contract of the stadium in February 2013 with a promise to complete the stadium in six months’ time. It was at that period he christened the stadium as “Stephen Keshi Stadium”.

To match his words with action, he invited Dr. Chris Kwakpovwe, founder of Our Daily Manna Devotional publication, to pray against spiritual inhibition stalling the progress of the project. Uduaghan enjoined Kwakpovwe to invoke the spirit of God on the stadium site to neutralise any negative spiritual inhibition.

During the marathon prayer session, Kwakpovwe grabbed a clump of earth from the Stephen Keshi’s Stadium and vigorously prayed against any negative force stalling the completion of the stadium.

Unfortunately, all the spiritual exertions could not redeem the Stephen Keshi Stadium from its current sorry state.

Okowa and the lure of the Uduaghan Model

About 17 years down the line, the baton of putting finishing touches to the stadium has been passed over to Okowa. Incidentally, he has expressed readiness to complete the project once and for all. The fear here is, will Okowa also adopt the Uduaghan’s model of offering vigorous prayers without a commensurate work?

Uduaghan and Okowa 

Prayer, as a Christian song goes, is the master key to anything. But it is worrisome that the meaning of such statement has been abused in our clime.

What more can one say of a Nigerian nurse who got fired by a UK hospital for resorting to pray for her dying patient rather than administer appropriate medications? Or what should one say of a student that prays all night without studying but believing that angels will provide answers to his examination questions? And still, what, in God’s name, should one say of a state government that budgets millions of naira for prayers against insurgency despite the acute dearth of funds to procure military wares?

As event have turned out to be, Okowa is one of the many governors who call for prayers at every given opportunity; but now that his predecessor have practically fought the suspected spiritual warfare, will the prosperity Governor ever climb down to the physical realm to handle the twin issues of public funds mismanagement and contractors’ sheer incompetence?

I think the answer to this question is finely buried in the womb of time, the true revealer of all things. But until then, I will join the league of hopeful Deltans to hope against hope that the current administration will go beyond the alter of mere prayer and give our dear state a state that is reminiscent of an oil-rich state capital.