The chairman of Gombe State Sports Commission, Hamza Adamu Soye, has expressed concern over the decay of infrastructure at the once magnificent Pantami Stadium in Gombe.
Soye who said this yesterday while delivering his address during the farewell well ceremony for Gombe state contingent going for the 2020 National sports festival in Benin, the Edo State capital noted that for the past 11 years Pantami stadium had not undergone any renovation.
He decried the poor state of facilities at the main bowl saying there is no electricity to power the borehole that has since packed up.
The Chairman went on to say that even the playing surface in the stadium is in a sorry state as the grass has withered and needs to be replaced.
Soye said that the commission has written to the ministry of Housing who were saddled with the responsibility of maintaining the edifice but as at the time of the press briefing, there was no response.
Speaking on the National Sports Festival in Benin, he said a total of 78 athletes were going to represent the state in 11 events.
Soye who explained that the festival which was supposed to be staged in 2020 suffered several postponements due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic said the athletes selected would make Gombe State proud in Benin.
In his address, the Governor of the state Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya urged the contingent to ensure they take first position in all events.
Represented by his deputy Manasseh Daniel Jatau, the governor encouraged the enthusiastic athletes to make Gombe proud just as he reiterated the readiness of the government to give unflinching support to sports amid limited resources.
