By Uzor Odigbo
Snakes and rodents have returned to their once natural habitats at the National Stadium in Surulere Lagos and others around the country.
This is sequel to the prolonged lockdown in Lagos State and workers asked to sit-at-home because of the coronavirus.
A check at the national monument in Surulere, reveals the return of snakes and rodents following the total absence of human activities for over five weeks the lockdown lasted in the state.
With unattended grown grasses and weeds sprouting everywhere close to offices and play grounds, the snakes found it convenient to coil behind office doorways, windows and stores in their numbers.
Eyewitness said that the prolonged lockdown was responsible for the multiplication of the reptiles at the stadium areas.
An ex-international who does not want his name mentioned, said that he discovered that snakes crawl on open spaces and every corner of the stadium un-intimidated by human presence.
“The grasses have grown tall with insignificant human activities here at the stadium. The reptiles in their numbers have felt free in retaking the stadium. The rodents also are seen all over the the place,” he said.
As at the time of this report, no government official was sighted for interview.
Those contacted on phone, however, said that they have no access to the stadium since it was shut as to mitigate the malaise.
Some commentators have said that from the National Stadium gates, the mainbowl, the National Institute for Sports (NIS), the boxing arena, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) office areas should be fumigated before serious work resumes.
“Work can only resume here if government carries out total mowing of the grasses and trees which sheltered the reptiles.
To avoid snake bites, government must ensure the National Stadium is ready weeks and months before sports activities resumes,” says a pharmacist at the National Stadium Medical Centre.
Other national monuments in such sorry-state are The Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt and Liberty Stadium in Ibadan.
TheNicheng.com gathered that the two stadia had been abandoned for several years without sporting activities, which led to the decaying sports infrastructures, over grown grasses and have become haven for reptiles, rodents and hideout for street orchins.
It was also gathered that government poor attention to the national monuments have raised concern for their privatisation to companies that can put them to maximum use.
With the Lockdown still in progress in these cities, the continued occupation of these reptiles and rodents would be unabated.
A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the grasses were growing because workers from grade levels one to six who usually cut them were asked to sit at home owing to COVID 19 pandemic.
Untill they are back to work, unfortunately, the situation would remain like that.
My only fear is the menace the snakes and rodents are going to cause for senior staff who would be resuming work soon.”
