By Nneka Nwogwugwu
A member of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Olawale Ayeni has urged the federal government to collaborate with private investors to handle the renovation and maintenance of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
This, he said, will rejuvenate the stadium from breeding reptiles and herdsmen as a result of overgrown grasses and unkempt environment.
Ayeni made this call Penultimate Monday in an interview with NatureNews.
Naturenews correspondent who visited the stadium observed that grasses have surrounded outside the bowl of the stadium.
The football pitch also looked abandoned and desolate while some seats at the spectators’ section have been badly damaged.
Reacting to this observation, Ayeni added that animals are now living in the stadium because of overgrown grasses and herdsmen take their cows to feed on the grasses.
He said, ‘It is quite unfortunate that we have a government that don’t maintain the stadium. They only try to when they want to have an event. There’s a whole lot of potentials for us in Nigeria, if we can actually tap into the resources we have.
‘’It’s actually sad that animals are now living in the stadium because of overgrown grasses but my message to the government is for them to allow private investors to come and handle the stadium. It should be concessional to private individuals.
‘’It is just so sad that it is the first national edifice you see when you enter Abuja. There’s need to maintain the place by attracting sponsors who will maintain the stadium.
‘’ Since it hosted some national games, it has not been the same. The stadium was built in 2002 and it hosted the all African Games in 2003 and since then it has not been the same.
‘’We have been hosting couple of national and domestic competition. The last time Abuja hosted major competition in Nigeria was in 2018 during the National Sports festival. In 2012, it hosted an international friendly match and ever since then, the stadium has been left to rot away.’’
Speaking on what could be reasons for allowing grasses to overgrow in the stadium, Ayeni said that it is political.
‘’Every year, there is a particular amount of money allocated for the maintenance of the stadium but to some extent, money7 will not be released and at the end of the day the work will not be done,’’ he added.
To further respond to the poor environmental situation of the Stadium, NatureNews correspondent who spoke to the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Manga Mohammed, is yet to get detailed information regarding the poor environmental situation of the Stadium from the Ministry.
Manga, who is newly posted to the Ministry, requested that more time be given to him to respond to the issue.
In 2020, the Youth and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare, complained that its budget was not sufficient to maintain the stadium.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Olusade Adesola, also stated that the ministry’s 2018 budget, which he put at N116bn, “was not sufficient to paint the stadium,” noting that government was planning to concession the facility.
Responding to the call for concession, the minister late last year officially flagged off and handed over the pitch of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium to the Dangote Group, for the commencement of the facility’s rehabilitation.
According to a statement issued from the media office of the minister, the rehabilitation to be carried out by Aron Nigeria Limited will be done within 24 weeks.
Also, a site engineer of the stadium revealed to the Nation that in May, 2021, that the dream to have the national teams return to action either at the Surulere National Stadium or the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja may soon become a reality as construction work at the two stadia have reached advanced stage.
He said that the planting of the hybrid Bermuda grass at the National Stadium Surulere is in the final stage, just as that of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.