By Jude Ndukwe
The day was Sunday, August 25, 2018. The boisterous city of Aba was agog. The atmosphere electrifying. The beauty of the arena was charming. Even the heavens keyed into the occasion as the clement weather brought zest to it. Drummers, dancers, acrobats, musicians and ball jogglers added colour to an already colourful and convivial occasion. Then the man of the moment came in. The entire stadium which was fully packed far beyond capacity erupted in wild jubilation as the protagonist of "Caterpillar Revolution", Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, executive governor of Abia State, stepped into the majestic and ultramodern Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, which he transformed from a decrepit structure to one which is now described as one of the best in the country and the pitch adjudged by football journalists, analysts, players, enthusiasts and other stakeholders from all parts of the country, as the very best in Nigeria.
Ex-Super Eagles players including Samson Siasia, Uche Okechukwu, Garba Lawal etc took on Ex-Enyimba players that included Ndidi Anumanu, Emeka Obi, Bethel Orji etc in the novelty match that marked the reopening of the renewed stadium.
According to Daniel Amokachi (The Bull) who spoke to journalists after the match, "Astroturf pitches are graded from A - E by FIFA. The turf at this stadium is grade A".
The pitch is a hybrid of both natural and synthetic grasses, the same standard used in leading European leagues.
It wasn't an easy feat to achieve. It takes a governor with the determination of an achiever like Dr Okezie Ikpeazu to see the project through to its logical conclusion.
With the way the crowd trooped to the pitch after the match for selfies, it was obvious that the pride of the common Abian has been taken a notch higher especially when the same quality is seen in the other infrastructural projects embarked upon by the governor in the entire state.
Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu is the man of our time. Come 2019, the ever grateful people of Abia state will show their gratitude to him at the polls
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