Referees in Kogi State have appealed to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to urgently renovate the Confluence Stadium to attract more sporting activities to the state.
The appeal was made by the chairman of the Kogi State Referees Council, Baba Abel, during the association’s annual general meeting in Lokoja on Wednesday.
Abel, a retired FIFA referee, lamented the sorry state of the Confluence Stadium, built during the administration of the former Governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris.
“This is one of the biggest stadiums in Nigeria. Unfortunately, it is currently dilapidated. It is not a good thing for our teams, the Confluence Queen and Kogi United to be playing their home matches outside Kogi State because of the bad state of our stadium,” he stated.
The referee council chairman, who noted that the stadium can host national teams for international matches, said allowing the stadium to decay is a loss to Kogi State.
“On this note, we are calling on the Kogi State Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo who we all know as a sport-loving personality, to urgently renovate this stadium to attract more sporting activities in Kogi State,” he said.
He equally appealed to philanthropists and well-meaning Nigerians to help with the renovation of the stadium and promote sport in the state.
He also applauded referees in Kogi State for their professional conduct, urging them not to relent in the discharge of their duties.
“I must give kudos to referees in Kogi State for their professional conduct. No referee in Kogi has been found wanting for unprofessional conduct while officiating matches across the country. This is good news. We have had instances where some referees in the country have been sanctioned for compromising while officiating a football match,” he stated.
In his remarks, the Kogi State Director of Sport, Onipe Halli, represented by the head of coaching and training of the Council, David Amadi, also stressed the need for government to urgently ensure that the Confluence Stadium wears a new look.
