WORLD CUP STEWARDS STAGE PROTEST IN LAGOS

These youths trained to make guests comfortable but they will not do so unless the organisers of the championship pay them what they ask. Photo: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

World Cup stewards stage protest in Lagos

The ability of the Local Organising Committee of the 2009 U-17 World Cup to host a successful tournament in Nigeria was put to the test yesterday as intending stewards for the soccer fiesta staged a protest in front of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos after being told that they would be paid the sum of N15,000 for the duration of the tournament at the Lagos centre.

“They said FIFA has approved $100 per day for us, why have they now reduced it to just N15,000 for five days? This is unfair. Let them just return our CVs and passports as we are no longer interested in their job,” said one of the protesters who simply identified himself as Kingsley.

For most of the protesters, the amount being proposed for the five days is too small compared to other centres where they claim higher amounts will be paid.

Drama

Over 300 of them had earlier gathered at the National Stadium, just opposite the venue of the World Cup event, where the names of the selected stewards and the amounts to be paid them were to be announced.

While speaking to NEXTSports, most of the aspiring stewards recounted how tedious it was for them to get to this stage in the screening programme in which only able-bodied people are meant to be selected.

“I don’t understand this kind of country. You won’t give people social security, now we want to work and you want to shortchange us. We were here training and running in the sun and rain, see the amount they now want to pay us,” a protester identified as Babalola fumed.

Clarification

The presence of heavily armed policemen at the gate of the Teslim Balogun Stadium prevented the aggrieved stewards from entering the mainbowl of the stadium as they demanded to see the chief security officer of the venue, Dotun Aderibigbe.

After being addressed by a high-ranking officer whose name tag identified him as B. Abudulahi, Aderibigbe later came out to address the protesters:

“We sent a budget of N10,000 per day to FIFA and the LOC for payment for stewards that would complement the efforts of uniform men, but it was not approved. That was when we approached the Lagos State governor for assistance. He offered to help because he wanted the youths of the state to be carried along hence we can only pay N20,000. Anybody that is still interested can make their intentions known and if considered not good enough, can back out,” he said.

The activities of the protesters hindered the free flow of traffic on the expressway for a while, with passersby saying the incident was shameful on the eve of the commencement of such an important tournament.

By Tunde Eludini

October 22, 2009 01:52AMT