The contractor handling the re-modelling of Warri City Stadium may have run into troubled waters following the disappointment expressed by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori during an inspection of the project on Tuesday.

The Governor, who visited the stadium alongside other top personalities, including the president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, and Director General of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Philip Shaibu, expressed dissatisfaction with delays by the contractor (Peculiar Consults Company), noting that the initial agreement was for the job to be completed by December, 2025.

“I wasn’t smiling because we have an agreement with the contractor,” an angry Oborevwori said. “The agreement was for the contractor to finish the job in December, and now we are in April.”

Oborevwori warned that further failure to meet expectations would attract public scrutiny, just as he emphasised that the state government would not alter the existing contract but would ensure that the contractor delivered according to agreed specifications.

He further stressed that timelines must be respected.
Oborevwori also rejected aspects of the ongoing work, particularly the cladding, which he described as substandard and temporary.

“We have paid for quality, not something that will fade in a few years,” he said.

“This cladding you are seeing is temporary, and it will be removed. Only durable materials that can stand the test of time would be accepted.

“If he fails us again, we will expose him,” he said, while identifying the contracting firm as Peculiar Consults and urging the media to hold it accountable.

The governor also highlighted constraints that influenced the decision to renovate the existing stadium rather than embark on a new construction project, citing land limitations and the need to preserve the identity of the Warri Stadium.

He added that plans to relocate residents around the facility were rejected to protect their homes and livelihood.

Looking ahead, Oborevwori expressed optimism that the upgraded stadium would be capable of hosting major sporting events, noting that Delta State remains committed to sports development.  He also revealed plans to renovate the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba after the Warri project is completed.

The governor, however, commended the quality of the playing pitch, describing it as satisfactory and in line with expectations.

The Guardian learnt, yesterday, that when the December 2025 agreement failed, the contractor allegedly promised top officials of the Delta Sports Commission that he would deliver the stadium before May this year.

“We are approaching the month of May, and the job is still far from being completed,” an official of the Delta Sports Commission told The Guardian yesterday. “Now, he is making another promise to deliver the stadium in September, and the Governor is not happy with such a promise and fail.”

Efforts by The Guardian to speak with the CEO of Peculiar Consults, Mr Adeleke, yesterday failed as he failed to pick up his calls.