Nigerian Sports Minister, John Enoh, said he wept after seeing the state of the national stadium in Surulere, Lagos, earlier this week.
The new minister who had announced that he would tour all the federal government-owned sports facilities in the country toured the national stadium in Lagos on Thursday.
The stadium, which was erected in 1972 used to serve as the center of Nigerian sports. It has hosted the All Africa Games in 1973, the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 and 2000, as well as the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1999.
Unfortunately, it has been deteriorating for the past 20 years, and the country’s immediate past sports minister Sunday Dare started redeveloping it two years ago with the assistance of lottery billionaire Kessignton Adebutu.
John Enoh, who was only appointed as Dare’s successor two weeks ago, took a tour around the still-under-renovation facilities and was left disappointed.
The minister made stops at the administrative offices of the National Institute for Sports, the Brai Ayanote boxing gym, the indoor sports arena, the swimming pool, the Table Tennis Federation, the Squash Federation, the viewing center, and the stadium’s power generation plant.
Enoh also visited the courts used by several sports federations, the Games Village dorms, the Legacy Pitch, and the sports hospital.
After the tour, John Enoh said, “I weep for the state of this infrastructure (Lagos National Stadium). This should not be the symbol of our sports in a city referred to as a sports city.
“The overall feeling is that of disappointment whose potential can surpass that of other nations.
“We need to look for smart and quick solutions to revive the Lagos National Stadium as soon as possible.
“I am glad that the process towards the concession of the facility has gone far. If that is what it will take to restore the glory of this facility, I endorse it 100 percent.”
He added, “We must be careful and make something happen quickly, so that the facilities we have working, don’t fall into the same sorry state of shame.”
