Contractor promises good job at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium

By Taofeek Babalola

The contractor handling Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi, Reform Sports West Africa, has promised to do a long-lasting job, Sportinglens.blogspot.com reports.

The artificial turf to relay new pitch at the Stadium will arrive in the state soon as worked begun at the stadium.

ATBS’s pitch is being re-laid by the Bauchi State Government for the next football season. It is the first time in nineteen years that the pitch will be re-laid- since it was used for the hosting of the FIFA U17 World Cup, Nigeria ’99.

Sportinglens.blogspot.com’s check on the Stadium revealed that the old turf has been completely removed to prepare ground for the new turf which is set to arrive soon.

The state home team, Wikki Tourists FC who uses the stadium as their home is currently using Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University pitch and Federal Polytechnic Bauchi respectively for their training session in preparation for new season.

A representative of the company Arnold Williams said they are doing some corrections at the stadium to give it international outlook.

"The issue at hand is not the time for the completion of work but what we are doing at the stadium; the quality and durability of things we are doing is what is important to us. The reason for the delay is that we are doing some corrections at the stadium. A lot of things were overlooked by the contractor that did before and we are doing it now. All the materials needed for the pitch is around except the turf and Felt Products which will arrive soon,” Williams said to Sportinglens.blogspot.com.

It is understood that the Reform Sports West Africa handled Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba in Ibadan, Lafia Township Stadium in Nasawawa and Akure Township stadium.

It is yet to be seen whether the stadium would be completed before their first home game of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).