Multimillion naira ‘Anambra swimming pool’ taken over by reptiles

The multimillion-naira swimming pool built at Ekwueme square, Awka, Anambra state in the wake of the 12th edition of the biennial Police Games held in the state between February 29 and March 7, 2020, is yet to be completed.

The swimming pool is now taken over by snakes and other reptiles.

• PODCAST: How To Stop The Ugly Trend Of Communal Clashes
• Multimillion naira ‘Anambra swimming pool’ taken over by reptiles

The swimming pool which was hurriedly put up to serve the police games, was not completed before the end of the game.

The swimming competition was only held for a day instead of two days during the game due to the unhealthy condition of the pool, which was at a tilling level a day to the competition.

South East Trust gathered that during the games, tankers were hired to fill the pool which was allegedly built at the cost of N52 million.

A recent visit to the site of the swimming pool shows that a year and five months after the police games, the swimming pool appeared to have been abandoned.

One of the sports administrators in the state, the owner of Rojenny games village in Oba, Idemili South local government area of Anambra state, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka said that the police authority approved the usage of the swimming pool at his centre but the government chose to build a new swimming pool that was never completed.

“Government chose to waste the resources of the state on frivolities of building a new swimming pool that can never be used because of the site of construction,” he said.

However, the chairman of Anambra Sports Development Commission, Chief Tony Oli said the swimming pool would soon be completed and put to public use.

According to him, the state government would put up the pipe to reticulate water before it would be opened to the public.

“The swimming pool is for the Anambra people and the present government cannot carry it away after the completion of the regime.

“If you are the person in charge, would you prefer building and maintaining a private swimming pool or building a public one that will be of service to the public?  We cannot continue with this blackmail that if things did not favour you, it is bad.

“The cost used in building the swimming pool is not important, even if it is N100m, the truth is that Anambra has a swimming pool now,” he said.