[p]Sunday Dare, who is currently serving as the Minister of Youth and Sports Development in Nigeria, recently announced on his Twitter page that the National Stadium located in Lagos would require a whopping 21 billion naira (approximately 45 million dollars) to undergo necessary renovations. According to Mr. Dare, the stadium has been left in a state of disrepair for over 17 years, with no previous renovations or upgrades. He stated that illegal occupants had taken over the property and had distorted the original plan. Upon assuming office in 2019, Mr. Dare and his team immediately set to work by removing all illegal occupants and locking out miscreants. However, budget allocation was insufficient, so they sought funding from private partners. Mr. Dare shared some photos on his Twitter page that captured the current state of the stadium and what it had been prior to his project.
The first task Mr. Dare and his team completed was to remove all illegal occupants and lock out miscreants. They also gutted out the old, damaged, and clogged up water drainage system and installed new ones. Additionally, they installed the second phase of the tartan tracks and are currently awaiting the final phase, followed by lanes marking. One digital score board that was originally fitted into the stadium has been fully installed. Mr. Dare stated that their target was to fix three of the 15 critical aspects of the Surulere stadium: the pitch, scoreboard, and tartan tracks. Although they faced delays, they never stopped working, and 80% of these three works have been completed.
However, Mr. Dare emphasized that what is needed to fix the National Stadium Surulere after 17 plus years of neglect is in excess of 21 billion naira, about 45 million dollars, of which they have just about 500m naira from private and government funding. He noted that there is a limit to what can be fixed given the amount of funding available. Despite the challenges, Mr. Dare remains committed to renovating the National Stadium and ensuring that it can serve as a center for sports and other events in Nigeria.
