Pandemonium erupted on Saturday immediately following the commencement of the opening ceremony for the 7th National Youth Games (NYG) in Asaba, the capital of Delta State.
This chaotic situation was triggered by the sudden collapse of a gate leading to the main bowl of the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, with a middle-aged woman reported as one of the athletes being affected.
The injured individual, according to information gathered by SaharaReporters, was swiftly transported in an ambulance to a medical facility whose location within the capital remains undisclosed.
Eyewitnesses noted that the victim’s condition was beyond the capacity of the medical staff stationed at the stadium for the ongoing National Youth Games.
Preceding the start of the National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, athletes from the state who were camped for the event protested against what they described as “inadequate food, water, electricity supply, and unsanitary living conditions” at their camp.
These young athletes, aged between 10 and 20, accused Tonobok Okowa, the chairman of the state Sports Commission, and officials of the commission of exploiting them for personal gain, neglecting their well-being, especially in terms of providing quality food, water, and electricity at their camp.
Additionally, the athletes leveled accusations against Tonobok Okowa, who is the younger brother of the former state governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and Festus Owhojero, the director of the Audit department, for awarding catering contracts within the athletes’ camps and supplying various consumable items to their sisters, wives, relatives, and girlfriends.
