The Edo State Government may write to halt the continuous encroachment into the land for the makeshift pavilion for the Okpekpe 10 kilometer road race ceremony, it was learnt yesterday.
The venue, according to a highly placed source in the Edo State Government, who made this disclosure to our correspondent in confidence on a telephone chat, is already shrinking, yet there are some clandestine plans for some people to erect a structure on part of the land.
Ogwa-Agbige, which is the community’s square for secular celebrations has been the ceremonial venue of the Okpekpe 10 Kilometer since its inception in 2013.
The source maintained that: “Whereas the venue which is always too small for surging mammoth of crowd from all walks of life needs expansion, developers are now eager to have their fair share of the land, which belongs to the community by extension the Edo State Government.
“Immediately the end of this year’s road race, High Royal Highness, the Onweweko of Okpekpe, Peter Abalume Osigbemeh will receive a letter from the Commissioner of Sports banning developers from encroaching into the land.
The letter will also criminalise further development on the land.”
Our correspondent also gathered that Supersports which always precedes the road race will not hold in Okpekpe this year because the organisers want neighbouring Local Government Areas to have a feel of the tournament.
The Nation gathered that this year’s Supersports that is expecting 2,000 school children will hold in Fugar, the head quarter of Etsako Central Local Government Area owing to the chairman’s friendly disposition to the fiesta.
Hon. Emma Momoh, the council chairman, it was learnt, “last year conveyed pupils from his LGA to Okpekpe for the Supersports and he is very Super-Sports friendly.”
The organisers, according to our source, will keep rotating the Supersports leg of the torunmement through the neighbouring LGAs before returning it to Okpekpe.