Residents plead for revitalization
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Osun State Games Village in Ijebu-Jesa, Oriade Local Government Area of the state, is currently in a sorry state after years of abandonment by successive administrations in the state.
The sprawling multi-million naira sports complex and adjoining facilities at the place have become habitats for different kinds of wild animals due to the bush that have taken over the estate.
Some criminal elements allegedly use the facility as their hideout.
A visit to the about 50 acres landmass, sharing a border with Ijeda community, revealed that the Sports Village had been abandoned for about 15 years.
The games village has facilities such as hostels, different games courts and training grounds. However, a large portion of the land within the facility had been converted by the Osun State Government for the construction of a technical college while some farmers and their family members use some of the dilapidated hostels there as shelters.
The walls of the buildings which were constructed by the old Oyo State Government are already weak and are almost collapsing.
Some hunters reportedly take advantage of the current state of the facility by hunting for games in the surrounding bush.
According to findings, the last time when the facility was put into use by the Osun State Government was during the second term of the former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola-led administration.
Meanwhile, some residents of Ijebu-Jesa, the host community, have urged the state government to revive the games village.
They lamented that the closure of the facility adversely affected the economy of the town.
“When it was functional – I could still remember – anytime athletes resumed in the village, the town would turn to a beehive of activities. We used to feel the positive effects of the facility then as traders would record high sales. But now, it is no longer the same story.
“We want the state government to revitalise it and put it into optimal use. As you can see, even criminals are hiding at the place because it is now bushy,” a resident of Ijebu-Jesa, who simply identified himself as Idowu, said.
It was gathered that the Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Osun State, Yemi Lawal, visited the place sometime last year with a promise that it would be revitalised.
Presently however, many people are worried that the edifice is wasting away as it remains un-rehabilitated and unused.
