PICTURE OF THE DAY: The Venue Of The Abuja AU summit Cleaned With Local Brooms

By Amebo

Monday 22 July 2013

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Sweeping the conference center before the arrival of VIP guests

Some of the “little things” that define Nigeria were on show at the summit.



The just concluded Abuja+12 special summit of the African Union which held in Abuja, was a highlight of beauty and the beast of some sorts.

The conference in which Heads of States and Governments of the African Union Commission attended from July 12th to 16th, presented a string of surprises to local and foreign attendees, and even some of the organizers.

One of the surprises unfolded hours before the commencement of the meeting as the organizers of the summit held at the International Conference Centre, “brushed” aside modern and safe techniques of tidying the facility’s rugged and enclosed interior, and opted instead for local brooms less than two hours before the top dignitaries arrived the venue.

Scores of workers filled up the area early morning Monday, sweeping the rugs with the dried palm fronds, stirring the dust in the enclosed building.

Using local brooms in sweeping a large carpeted enclosed space like the ICC, which is air-conditioned, leaves dust in the air and is apparently unhygienic.

Cyril Chukwu, a Chest Physician with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba affirmed that concern particularly for asthmatics and people with respiratory medical defects.

Ademola Obatan, Chief Executive Officer of Squeaky Clean, an industrial cleaning firm based in Lagos also expressed surprise at the “anomaly”.

“It wouldn’t have cost them a fortune to hire vacuum cleaners for the few days of the event if they didn’t want to lease the cleaning to an industrial cleaning firm, he said.

One of organizers who refused to be quoted, fearing he may be victimized, also expressed surprise.

“We received so much money for the organizing of this event and using proper, befitting and healthier industrial sweepers would have been appropriate. You know how things happen in Nigeria,” the staff said before hurrying away.

Cleaning the venue with local brooms was not the only wonder of the event. There were tangled cables all over the floor and ceiling of the venue which was unlike other International Conference Centres in other climes.

One of the delegates who simply identified himself as Dr. Osei said “It’s an embarrassing sight. “To think that global personalities will be here seeing all these. You needed to have been here yesterday (Sunday), you would have cringed with shame had you seen the carpenters knocking away to create this makeshift venue,” Mr. Osei, a Ghanaian, said