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Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode says the Agege Stadium will be made ready before December this year when the CAF inspection team is due in the state.
Ambode gave the assurance on Wednesday when he received the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Football Club at the State House, Ikeja. The visiting team included players as well as officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and some ex-internationals.
The governor commended the club for returning Lagos back to the prestigious CAF Champions League sixteen years after a team from the state participated in the tournament.
Ambode said it was gratifying that a team from Lagos would be participating in the 2018 edition of the continental tournament after such a long time, just as he pledged to assist the team with the necessary support to ensure successful campaign at the championship.
While congratulating the team for the feat, the governor particularly acknowledged and saluted the vision of MFM General Overseer, Pastor Kayode Olukoya who founded the team ten years ago, saying that the state government was proud to associate with his idea of meaningfully engaging the youths to contribute positively to the society.
Responding to some requests by the MFM FC, Governor Ambode donated N25milion to the footballers and officials of the club for qualifying for the CAF Champions League and another N25million to ensure hitch-free campaign, as well as adequately prepare for the tournament.
Already, the governor said the State Sports Commission had been directed to ensure that the Agege Stadium, which is the home-ground being used by MFM FC, be put in good shape to meet up with CAF standard before inspection in December.
“I want to also say that we have directed our sports team and the Sports Commission to make sure that everything needed, just as earlier requested, to ensure that Agege Stadium is certified by CAF is done,” Ambode said.
While recalling the promise he made to the people during electioneering to use tourism, hospitality, entertainment and arts as well as sports for excellence, Governor Ambode said the feat by the team aptly conform with the vision and plan of the State Government to use sports to advance the economy and positively engage the youths.
According to him, “We need sports to use it as an instrument to build the economy of Lagos and also direct the energy of our younger ones to things that are very positive as exemplified by what is happening today. Beyond football, they continue to use it for their own mental ability to be able to be proud future leaders in this country and that is what we are trying to say.
“It is a way of propagating new leaders and people who are properly disciplined because you need a lot of discipline to play football. There are things that are not taught in schools that you actually find in sports and that is the direction we are trying to go with youth development in this State and so I like to commend the team and the officials,” he said.
Earlier, MFM director of Sports Worldwide, Godwin Enakhena commended Ambode and Lagos State for the support so far extended to the team, saying the assistance contributed to the feat achieved by the team to play at the continental level.
He recalled how the state government released Agege Stadium to MFM FC free of charge for use as home-ground and other security arrangements, as well as logistics, adding that the immense support of the government was well appreciated.
JOSHUA BASSEY
