Baba Ijebu's Move to Renovate National Stadium Surulere And the Consequent Fall Outs [Adopt-A-Stadium Project in Nigeria]

 

When Sunday Dare, the honourable Minister of Youth & Sports, launched the ‘Adopt an Athlete’ and ‘Adopt a Stadium' project late last year, it was clear to all that was the way forward. It was an innovative way to involve corporate entities into the development of sports in Nigeria as the country prepared for the Olympics with scarcity of funds even before the COVID-19 induced recession. 

The program, beautiful in its simplicity; the Ministry put up athletes who had podium chances at the Olympics and allow corporate bodies to bid for the support of any of them with fees ranging from 10,000 USD – 20,000 USD annually, to assist them in training. 

The ‘Adopt-A-Stadium’ followed a similar MOU. Some stadia were put up so that companies can renovate them and thus help our long decaying sporting infrastructure.

 The Adoption Campaign may have started yielding dividend following the confirmation by the Sports Minister that business moguls, Aliko Dangote has began renovation of the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, while Adebutu Kessington (popularly known as Baba Ijebu) have been given the go ahead to renovate the National Stadium Surulere Lagos.

However, the criticisms in Nigeria have been coming as usual. Ironically, the same people who keep complaining of the lack of adequate infrastructure in our sports and also the total dilapidation of the National Stadium are out condemning the actions of the Minister. 

Their position have one common theme, the hardship and livelihood of the numerous squatters around these stadia who have made the stadium their temporary homes and business premises. They argue that sending these people away to renovate the stadium is insensitive and inhumane especially during these times that the pandemic has made things so difficult.

The position of these critics is misleading, but they are speaking out of a combination of emotions and decisions that may cause some changes in the unusual pop culture at the stadium. 

The National Stadium over the years has degenerated from a Centre of Sporting Excellence into a place of social miscreants.  The large edifice has since stopped hosting great and memorable international fixtures. The one time home of the Super Eagles is now home to beer loving night clubbers, prostitutions and a centre for general chaos. 

The place is an uncoordinated market place. We have a melting pot of people that gather there for different reasons ranging from being a social club where adults meet to drink and flirt, to a place littered with people begging for alms, to a home for touts and people with nefarious agendas. 

 These social joggers, fitness clubs, dancers are scattered in every corner from parking lots to roads that there seems to be total disorderliness of activities. The environment is filthy, without proper garbage disposals around, dirt ranging from used water bottles, plastic wrappers, uneaten fruits to even used condoms. Public toilets are sparse or non-existent for a place that takes in tens of thousands of people. So human waste can be seen at every area. The infrastructure is dead. 

The running track looks like a rat eaten carpet while the stadium seats have been broken, pulled out or just damaged in one way or the other. The main-bowl pitch is overgrown with weed at areas we are even lucky to have grass. 

The road surrounding the main-bowl is totally dilapidated. Large pot-holes, illegal kiosks and makeshift rooms are seen around. The unpainted edifice reveals the years of decay and bellies the once outstanding architecture that heralded great sporting moments in our nation's history. 

Offices that housed previous Ministers of Sport and federal civil servants now are either night clubs or house cobwebs and piles of dust. Rats are landlords in many areas. The structures around the main bowl do not tell a different tale. The National Institute of Sports looks like an abandoned brothel, the indoor gyms have outdated and dirty equipment, the poorly lit indoor hall looks fit only for a vampire chamber. North of the stadium, the Medical Centre is a shadow of its former image and the buildings that house the SWAN and NOC are a disgrace in relation to our size, pride and sporting prowess.

The security perimeter wall of the stadium has been completely destroyed by nature and human vandalism in equal measure. Over grown grass surround the edifice while the area smells due to make shift toilet activities

Inside the offices, the human resource mirrors the outlook of the stadia, with staff looking disinterested and unmotivated. The is a feeling of idleness and nonchalance boredom in an arena that ideally should be busy all year round with sporting activities, concerts and a shopping plaza one can be proud of.

But it is not all gloom and doom. The indoor basketball hall has seen makeovers by Nestle and recently DSTV. The Para-Sports gymnasium had new world-class equipment supplied by Peak Milk. This is evidence of the role the private sector can play in upgrading our infrastructure. We may feel the initial pain of change, as it would not be business as usual even when renovation is complete but we must embrace it if we want progress.

While critics have a case in pointing out that existing contracts with local merchants be resolved amicably, either by refunds or compensation, the overall dream of having a great edifice like Wembley in London or The Allianz Arena in Germany would not come at an easy price. But in the end, it would be worth it.