…Ambode, Lalung inspect decayed facilities
After years of inability to properly manage and run the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, the Federal Government has kick-started the process of handing it over Lagos State government, spurring hope for sports fans, who believe Lagos will do better managing the facility.
This is going to be the second such national monument to be ceded to Lagos State by the Federal Government, having also last year, handed over the State House, Marina, to the state.
However, it is only Lagos State that stands to benefit from this arrangement as three other federally owned stadia including Calabar, Enugu and Kaduna are also being handed over to their respective states of location. But the rehabilitation of the national stadium in Lagos, the biggest of the stadia, is sure to pose a massive challenge, having been “criminally” left to rot for years, with most of its facilities in total ruin.
At the joint inspection of the facilities with Solomon Dalung, minister of sports, Amaju Pinnick, president Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Wednesday, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said Lagos State government is ready to take over the stadium and turn into an asset. Ambode said it was unfortunate how things had degenerated, but expressed preparedness to hit the ground running towards restoring the lost glory of the stadium once officially handed over to Lagos.
He recalled how enthusiastic it was for people in the past to visit the stadium with their families to watch matches and catch fun, saying repositioning the stadium will not only help to bring about layers of employment but will also facilitate family bonding.
“This visit is very historic. I recall that during our campaign, we promised that we are going to use tourism, entertainment and arts and sports to drive youth employment as well as drive excellence. So, this is just one chapter in that roadmap to growing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Lagos. With the state of affairs here, we cannot fold our arms and just leave this monument to just waste away. The last match that was played here was about fifteen years ago but the truth is this, the inner key to youth empowerment and youth employment is actually in re-establishing this edifice to its real world class standard,” he said.
Dalung on his part lamented the dilapidated condition of the stadium which he described as a national disaster, just as he called for serious and comprehensive action to reposition the Stadium and return it to its pride of place.
He expressed the confidence that Lagos will transform the sporting facility within the stadium and thanked Ambode for his interest towards repositioning the stadium.
“We have gone round and we have seen the edifice in a sorry state. Whatever we can do to arrest the situation, we must do it. I have received what I can call football gossip from football federation that if the stadium is handed over to Lagos and renovated in six months, the next match of Nigeria against Zambia would be played here,” the minister said.
Some of the facilities inspected at the stadium include the Molade Okoya tennis hall, 3000 capacity multi-purpose indoor sports hall, beach soccer pitch, synthetic football pitch and the 38,000 capacity main bowl football field.
