Sports minister Sunday Dare has claimed that the federal government will need at least a staggering $45 million (about N21 billion) to get the National Stadium, Lagos in proper shape.
A report by The Guardian newspaper had exposed the level of rot at the iconic facility despite the hundreds of millions spent to renovate it under Dare’s guidance.
In response to the damning report, which showed that the stadium was still in a state of serious disrepair despite the refurbishment work, the minister explained that only a fraction of the needed funds is available.
The stadium, which hosted the African Games in 1973 and the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 and 2000, had been abandoned for 17 years.
Under Dare’s Adopt-A-Pitch initiative, repair work began two years ago, with lottery billionaire Chief Kessington Adebutu picking up the tab.
However, not much progress has been made on the vast complex as a whole, although Dare cites improvements on the main bowl.
“Upon assumption of office in 2019, I met the National Stadium in a completely rundown state. Left to rot for almost 17 plus years. No renovations/ upgrades. Illegal occupants had taken over,” Dare began in a series of tweets yesterday.
“The illegal occupants had distorted the original plan. We immediately set down to work at the Ministry. First, the task force removed all illegal occupants and locked out miscreants. Next we sought funding from private partners as budget allocation was insufficient.
“Old, damaged and clogged up water drainage system gutted out and new ones installed. Second phase of the tartan tracks installed; awaiting the final phase followed by lanes marking. One digital score board as originally fitted into stadium has been fully installed.
“Our target was to fix three of the 15 critical aspects of the Surulere stadium: the pitch, scoreboard and tartan tracks. We faced delays but we never stopped. Eighty percent of these three works have been completed.
“What is needed to fix the National Stadium, Surulere after 17 plus years of neglect is in excess of N21 billion, about $45 million, of which we have just about N500m from private and government funding. There is a limit to what can be fixed.
“Private sponsors have not been forthcoming for the renovations as expected. Government funding has been supportive. The integrity test commissioned of the terraces\seats revealed 40 percent of the terraces lack integrity and may collapse. Funds to fix this not available.”
Dare also spoke in Lagos and provided further explanation as to why the facility is still in such a general state of dilapidation.
“We lost one year to Covid-19 during the period, and we were still able to make impact,” the minister said.
“Ten sponsors were needed, and we got only one. The budget for each of the stadia is not enough to maintain it.
“The story of the National Stadium, Lagos is pathetic because all the cables were stolen, and we met a structure completely dead such that we started from ground zero.
“Now, the scoreboard is back, the pitch is back with water sprinklers working while the tartan tracks are 80 per cent ready.”
Dare however commended the efforts of Chief Adebutu and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who partnered with the ministry to revive the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, which had been abandoned for 13 years.
To put the stadium cost in perspective, it is estimated that the renovation of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu will cost between €800m and €900m, while the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was built for around a whopping £1 billion.
Also, the state-of-the-art Moses Mabida Stadium in South Africa, built in 2009 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, cost an estimated $450m.
