BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The Federal Capital Territory has restored peace in the territory by immediately ordering the intruding maize farmers to stop planned disruption of activities on Abuja football pitch located inside old parade ground.
FCT Minister of State, Ramatu Tijani Aliyu, handed the directive on Monday night after she received an intelligent report that some individuals were planning to dump agricultural produce, particularly bags of maize and rice on the playing turf.
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The Minister’s directive came few hours after media report went viral pon the issue earlier same day.
Ramatu whose direct schedule includes sports and other social activities within the nation’s capital also issued the directive after the President of Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mohammed Kabir, boasted that nobody could stop them from going ahead with offloading the bags of grains on top the playing field, except President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sports journalists had stormed the prestigious old parade ground on Monday where it was discovered that some part of the perimeter fence of the football playing ground were being removed in preparation for the hatched plans by some persons officially unknown to FCTA.
However, a media aide to the FCT Minister of state, Aderonke Bello, informed The Point Monday night via telephone call that such moves had been averted.
She said, “The Minister was very furious when she heard about such plans to disrupt activities on the football pitch, and she has immediately stopped it.”
The pitch had been abandoned until October 2021 when private sector-driven initiative anchored by Ratels Sports Development Foundation regrassed the pitch and renovated the dressing rooms.
Since then, the ground has become home to most football clubs in the FCT as they have been using the grass turf as their training and playing ground for top class league matches in both the men’s and women’s ongoing football leagues.
Meanwhile, the elated owner of Naija Ratels football club who renovated the complex, Paul Ede, has been full of praises to the FCT Minister of State for intervening to save the career of hundreds of youths the destruction would have thrown up into the streets.
“I’m very elated and grateful to the Honourable Minister of State, Hajiya Ramatu Aliyu Tijani for playing a mother’s role. Her intervention has proved her love for the youths who are her direct responsibility and schedule. I will always say thank you ma to her.”
