Non-sporting activities have been banned at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Indoor Sports Hall, Enugu, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Vitus Okecchi, said on Thursday. Activities at the facility are at a halt as the stadium looked deserted and empty, checks revealed.
The stadium that was usually fraught with activities with people and athletes exercising in the morning hours was empty due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) scare and the suspension of activities of any kind by the Federal Government.
The Minister for Youths and Sports in the country, Mr Sunday Dare, recently instructed that sports activities of any kind should be suspended.
The Federal Government and Enugu State Government ordered civil servants on grade level 12 and below to work from home.
The stadium on Wednesday was noticed to have been deserted while the main gate was closed but not under lock and key.
Speaking on the situation, the South-East Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Jane Owoh said that federal government ordered the suspension of activities of any kind.
Offered she: ”The minister for youths and sports Sunday Dare ordered that activities of any kind should be suspended.
”We got the instruction to stop all activities inside the stadium on Monday and we swung into action because lives are involved. Secondly, another instruction came later for civil servants on grade level 12 and bellow to work from home while those above 12 should be coming to work.
”We are only doing an administrative work and that is why the stadium is scanty because civil servants on grade level 12 did not come to work”.
Speaking on the measure to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus, Owoh said that the office provided washing hand bucket and sanitiser at the entrance of the office.
Said Owoh: ”We are adhering to the instruction of regular washing of hand and sanitising the hand as well. All the staff at the office have been trained on the best way to stay safe even before the government order of work from home”.
Few coaches under the Enugu Ministry of Youths and Sports were in the stadium roving, without athletes in sight.
