Sports minister denies demanding N81m to cut grass at national stadium

The minister of youths and sports, Sunday Dare has denied requesting N81m to cut grass at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

This is following a report making the rounds that the ministry is presided over by Dare is planning to planning to spend said amount on cutting the overgrown grass at the stadium.

Dare’s clarification was contained in a statement signed on Sunday by John Akanji, his media assistant.
According to the statement, the minister said the report was “misleading” and a “misrepresentation” of what he said.

The minister, who noted that his statement was twisted, stressed that it would be a misplaced priority to spend such a huge amount to cut grass at the stadium when there are so many other competing matters that need to be attended to.

“The Minister believes merely cutting the grass would amount to not just gross waste of scarce resources, but misplacement of priorities,” the statement read.

“This clarifications became necessary following a misleading and out of context newspaper report that the Minister said a proposed amount of 81m was received by the Ministry.

“It has become imperative and a necessity to clear the air on the misleading headline by a newspaper that the Minister would spend 81 Million to clear grass at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja.

“What the Minister said was that it would be wrong and a misplaced priority to spend a huge amount of 81 MIllion to cut grass when there are so many other competing matters that need to be attended to.

“A one-time clearing of the stadium would cost 81million. If I tell Nigerians that I would be spending 81MIllion to cut grass so that there would be no rats and grasscutters, what do you think of their response?

“The same press would condemn such action as a waste of money and misplacement of priorities. It is therefore unethical, mischievous, unprofessional and unfair to twist the statement to suit the interest of the writer.”