GOVERNMENT DEBUNKS DEATH, STAMPEDE REPORTS AT STADIUM OPENING Akwa Ibom State government has debunked rumours of deaths and stampede during the opening ceremony of the ultra modern Ibom international stadium in Uyo. The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, speaking on the news making the rounds in the social media that two deaths were recorded due to stampede, said it was complete falsehood, intended to discredit the very successful event that has attracted commendations from around the world. According to him, though there were cases of exhaustion and tiredness due to the massive crowd that turned out to part of the grand occasion, no death was recorded throughout the duration of the event that lasted for about seven hours. Mr. Umanah maintained that the robust medical team of over 100 specialists and ambulances on standby, effectively took care of the few cases of exhaustion and minor injuries that arose during the occasion. The Commissioner who said that the 30,000 seats of stadium were filled by 4.00 p.m., explained that the excited crowd of Akwa Ibom people outside of the stadium was successfully persuaded to leave the venue and be part of the ceremony through the various viewing centres provided in the state capital by the government or from their homes through the different television channels that beamed the event live. He wondered why politicians who were bent on scoring cheap political goals will seek to diminish the success of the ceremony that had the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR, and his counterparts from Ghana, Dr John Mahama and that of Cote Divoire, Dr Alassane Outtara, among other global dignitaries in attendance. The Information Boss challenged those behind the false report to produce the names and pictures of those they claimed died during the commissioning ceremony of the Ibom International Stadium. While advising the agents of falsehood and their media collaborators to desist from creating unnecessary panic among the citizenry, Mr. Umanah said the people of Akwa Ibom were already looking forward to the Nations Cup qulaifier encounter between the Super Eagle of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, as well as the friendly encounter between Nigeria and Brazil, slated for early 2015. Idris Mabadeje Information Officer.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 13:38:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015