All that remains is an empty shell of the Michel Essonghe sports complex, located in the Sogarès district in the Bendjé department. Seven years following its inauguration by deposed president Ali Bongo Ondimba, this temple of multidisciplinary sport has been the victim of acts of vandalism for several months by men whose identity has still not been revealed.
“For me, this is a bitter observation that I am making here. There are a lot of things to review at this stadium, there has been a lot of theft here and an electricity problem,” criticized Dr André Jacques Augand, Minister of Sports, during his visit.
Screens, doors, toilets, chairs, computers and many others were vandalized. Due to a lack of electricity following the 2017 CAN, this sporting gem recorded unannounced visits perpetrated by robbers and other neighborhood thugs.
According to him, “the stadium is currently operating with groups, and these groups are having problems with the rooms”.
Insecurity reigns in this place to the point where residents near the stadium are forced to return home at 6 p.m. to avoid being victims of robberies and other crimes. To revive this 20,000-seat stadium, the government intends to initiate a global study of the tasks that can be carried out.
To date, the two giant screens no longer work, just like the projectors, due to lack of electricity. Monitored by a security service, this system did not stop the bandits who constantly tested the police called in to secure this site.
“This stadium since the last Can has been functioning in terms of water with wells, in terms of electricity it was generators. And there, we will try to see with the SEEG how to transport the water to resolve a certain number of problems,” he indicated.
Jean Jacques Rovaria Djodji
2024-04-23 16:56:44
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