Wikki Tourist of Bauchi could be heading back to their ancestral home ground at Tafawa Balewa Stadium later this month, following reports that the arena’s ongoing renovation will soon be completed.
Sports247.ng can report that feelers from Bauchi indicate that natural grass and other material needed for the final phase of the renovation have arrived, while the contractors are back on site to complete the job.
It was gathered further that government bureaucracy might have also accounted for slow pace on the work, as sources close to the firm stated that they returned to duty only after all formalities were finalised.
This comes almost two years after the then commissioner for sports in Bauchi State, Zubairu Madaki disclosed that government had awarded a N140m contract for renovation of the arena in 2017.
Madaki said as much while leading Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials on an inspection tour of the stadium, when Wikki Tourists were set to compete in the CAF Confederation Cup back then.
He disclosed that the contract had been awarded to Reform Sports West Africa Ltd, Abuja, and Ideal Communications Ltd. for renovation of the main pitch, lightings and scoreboards, and that the stadium would be ready for the matches within three weeks.
He added: “Zaranda Hotels, Chartwell Hotels, Fariah Suits and Wikki Hotels are some of the hotels selected to accommodate players and officials during the tournament.
“The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, the state specialists’ hospital, and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, all in Bauchi, have been chosen as referral hospitals and airport.”
