After one year of high politics that undermined its expression of interest in the National Stadium, Surulere, the Lagos State Government on Tuesday di
After one year of high politics that undermined its expression of interest in the National Stadium, Surulere, the Lagos State Government on Tuesday disclosed that the Federal Government had finally agreed to cede the facility. Consequently, the state government said its top functionaries would go to Abuja next week to finalise the process of handing over the National Stadium in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had on March 1, 2017 inspected the National Stadium alongside the Minister of Sports & Youth Development, Mr. Solomon Dalung and other state functionaries. At the inspection of the sports facility, the minister lamented that the edifice “is in a sorry state. The level of dilapidation is very embarrassing. It can never be equated with our civilisation as a people.”
In response to an inquiry on the plan of Lagos State to take over the National Stadium, the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr. Kweku Tandoh Tandoh disclosed that President Buhari had already given verbal approval to release the facility during his two-day visit to Lagos in March. He explained that Ambode re-presented the request of Lagos State to take over the National Stadium mentioned in a speech he delivered at the presidential dinner the state government organised for the president during the visit.
After the governor re-presented the request, Tandoh said the president verbally gave approval “to release the facility to the Lagos State Government,” noting that the process of handover would commence next week. According to Tandoh, “I hope this time the federal government will hand it over on the terms of the Lagos State Government.”
He gave insight into diverse issues that undermined the state’s interest to
take over the sports facility.
“It was as if the federal government only wanted concession agreement with Lagos State. The arrangement simply required Lagos State to fix the sports facility and use it for an agreed period of time. But the federal government will still be the owner. That is not what Lagos State wants,” he noted.
After explaining that the federal government’s readiness to transfer the National Stadium to Lagos State would boost sports development, the chairman disclosed that N3.6 billion had already been approved for the reconstruction of Onikan Stadium in Lagos Island. He noted that the Onikan stadium “has been modelled to an all-covered ultra-modern international stadium with the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) certified artificial turf and multipurpose arena for entertainment concerts with capacity to accommodate 10,000 spectators.”
