Segun Awofadeji
5 January 2009
Bauchi — In preparation for the final FIFA inspection of facilities for the hosting of the Under-17 World Cup, which the country should be hosting, other things being equal, the country's Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, who is supervising the Local Organising Committee, will tomorrow, lead an inspection team to Bauchi to assess all the facilities in the state.
Chairman of the VP inspection visit to Bauchi, Alhaji Maigari Mohammed Khanna said that principal among the facilities the Vice President is expected to inspect are the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Zaranda and Awalah Hotels, Games Village and The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.
Tafawa Balewa Stadium, arguably the best footballing facility in the Northeast sub-region of the country, is expected to be one of the venues for the championship.
The two hotels are to provide accommodation to players and team officials, while support staffs of the venue would be accommodated at the Games Village. The Federal Polytechnic will serve as one of the training grounds for the teams that will be hosted at the venue, if Bauchi eventually gets the nod.
Zaranda Hotels, which is wholly owned by the state government, is already being renovated and upgraded while the Games Village training ground is also receiving attention as all the things the facility would need to make it a good and functional host, are being put in place.
Meanwhile, the State Deputy Governor, Garba Mohammed Gadi, has expressed satisfaction with the level of work going on at all the designated facilities ahead of the FIFA visit. He assures that by the time the inspection team arrive Bauchi they would find a ready host and venue.
The Deputy Governor, who went round to monitor the situation during the weekend, said the contractor have been put everything in place to ensure that work is completed on schedule.
He added: "With what I have seen on the ground, we are on course and by the grace of God we will beat the deadline and get the FIFA node as one of the centres to host the championship. We have done it in the past and we hope to do it again."
Gadi also visited the emergency ward of the Bauchi Specialists Hospital, Federal Polytechnic playing ground, the Games Village, Zaranda Hotel, Awalah Hotel, the Medical Centre of the stadium as well as its Main Bowl, which is presently undergoing upgrading.
Bauchi is one of the centers in the northern part of the country that are bidding to host the championship. Other bidders include Kaduna and Kano States.
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