Eko 2012: Protesting technical officials cease fire

. As athletes score cricket venue low

Conflict between members of the Local Organizing Committee and some technical officials of the ongoing National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012 seems to have been resolved.
On Wednesday, some of the technical officials, who were protesting the quality of accommodation and food given them by organizers, called off their protest.
A source at the University of Lagos camp of the officials informed The Eagle Online that the technical officials had protested over the quality of accommodation by deciding to shun the place and refusing to take the food served at the camp.
Initial plea from the LOC to the technical officials fell on deaf ears as they stuck to their guns, insisting that they should be given an option of deciding where they would stay.
“At the previous editions of the Festival hosted by Rivers and Kaduna States, we were given an option to decide whether we wanted to stay at the accommodation provided by the LOC or not. Money was made available for those who chose to stay on their own,” one of the aggrieved officials said.
However, the LOC for Eko 2012 did not have such provision and it insisted that the officials either stayed where they were given or forfeit everything.
“It is a win or lose all situation,” our source said.
“They have now agreed to come to the camp and take the food as well because they are afraid they will lose everything.” said a member of the LOC, who sought for anonymity.
In another development, Cricketers featuring in the ongoing Eko 2012 Games have condemned the cricket pitch at the University of Lagos where the event is holding.
Some of the athletes noted the pitch is in a terrible condition and wondered why efforts were not made by the Local Organizing Committee of the Games to make arrangements for cricket to be played at the cricket oval at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
One of the athletes said: “It is unfortunate that we are playing our games at a very bad pitch which did not allow us to exhibit our talents.
“We had expected the Local Organizing Committee of the Games to liaise with the Cricket Federation of Nigeria to enable the game be played at the Cricket Oval at TBS but as things stands now, the bad pitch at Unilag will not allow the best team to win the championship.”