FIFA Project: Delay May Stall Further Projects - Manga
From Juliana Taiwo in Abuja
Jean Manga, former Cameroonian soccer player and Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) official, has warned both the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and the winner of the FIFA Goal Project contract, Aron Nigeria Limited that any delay in delivering the job in six months may stall further projects for the country.
Manga gave this warning at the weekend during the signing ceremony for the project. He said the project is meant to satisfy the national needs of the country and the objective is to reduce the level of infrastructure and to solve football development problems by providing a training centre.
He said the goal project will also solve both sporting and administrative problems. "To the contractor and the consultant, I must tell you if you can finish this project in the specified time, it won't stop here but if you fail it will affect further projects for Nigeria. It is for you to prove if you are a good contractor or not. Don't forget Nigeria football will be the better for it once this is completed," he said.
Manga said the papers would get to Zurich in a matter of days and once all is certified in a few more days the money would be released for immediate commencement of the project. He said the money has been lying fallow waiting for Nigeria to be ready to claim it.
Earlier in his remarks, the NFA Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima had said the project was a fulfillment as it would develop youth football, which the NFA has been clamouring for. He thanked both the Ministry of Sports for providing the land and the FIFA family for showing acceptance to Nigeria by approving that the project becomes a reality.
In his own remark, the Chairman of Aron Nigeria Limited, Sir Francis Onipede, said the FIFA project was very difficult as they insisted on a lot of paper work to be completed including signing of insurance papers. "It is not a juicy contract but a very difficult one. Instead of five percent relationship we were asked to get 10 per cent which is for 15 years. But we cannot afford to fail Nigerians. If this is done well this will attract more projects and Nigeria will get to higher levels like other countries who are already on level four. It is six months and there's no going back," he said.
The FIFA Goal Project Manager, Mallam Shehu A. Dikko said everything will be done according to FIFA's specifications and standard.
It would be recalled that Aron had beaten two other contractors to land the juicy contract to handle the FIFA Goal Project.
The total project cost for the Phase I of the project, which is the construction of a world class technical centre, is $870,000. This includes the cost of building and civil works, furniture and equipment as well as cost of professional fees.
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