Nobody seems to know the reason for the collapse, but some people believe it might not be unconnected to poor quality of materials being used in the construction of the two storey affair, while another report indicate that experts had actually warned about the project.
Eyewitnesses say the wounded were immediately evacuated from the construction site, said to be in preparation for the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) to be hosted at the stadium from November 28, this year to the hospital, by emergency rescuers, who were quickly mobilised to the scene, of the tragedy.
However, a new twist, was added to the sad development by officials of the state government, who were said to have descended on reporters, who rushed to the scene.
The reporters, who rushed to the scene to assess the level of damages were reportedly not only bundled out and their equipment seized, but some of them were actually harassed and beaten up on the orders of the chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, who was said to be visibly angry and scandalised at their presence.
Okowa, who doubles as Co-Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the festival tagged Asaba 2022, could be heard, ordered his boys to confiscate the working tools of the journalists, saying, “take these journalists away from here, we don’t need them,” which prompted the aides to overstretch their briefs, as they beat they, hitting them with guns and other objects.”
It would be recalled that the collapsed building was recently inspected by the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, who gave a pass mark, saying that the facilities were 80 per cent ready for use.
However, some structural engineers expressed concerns over the speed at which the construction was going, doubting the integrity of the buildings under construction