Following the first renovation of the football field in ten years, the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, has a new look.
The sports complex, which was built in 1972 during the rule of General Yakubu Gowon, hosted the African Games in 1973, where Nigeria won the gold medal, and the AFCON in 1980, when the men’s national football team, known at the time as the Green Eagles, also won the tournament and led Africa for the first time ever.
The 2000 AFCON, which was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, was held there as well. It was also one of the venues for the 1999 U-20 World Cup.
Both of these significant occasions were, however, the final ones to take place there before the stadium was fully deserted.
Following that, it was used as a location for religious and social gatherings. It was occupied by hoodlums known as Area Boys, squatters, hawkers, prostitutes, and bar owners.
The National Stadium, Lagos pitch, however, underwent renovation on Thursday with the re-grassing of the main pitch, replacement of the scoreboard, and restoration of vandalized cables, ensuring the stadium is well-lit at night to improve security.
The minister assured that the project was nearly finished in a statement that the government released to the media.
“One of Nigeria’s iconic stadiums, National Stadium, Surulere is on the verge of a complete turnaround after works started on the ground courtesy of Sunday Dare’s Adopt-a-Pitch initiative.
“After preliminary inspections and several weeks of work, rollers have now been deployed to the turf, as work enters a new phase.
“Nigeria won its first AFCON trophy in 1980 at this stadium and it remains a historic place in the history of Nigerian football.”
On the other hand, former Super Eagles players praised the minister for revitalizing the long-abandoned Lagos National stadium.
According to Sunday Oliseh, a former Eagles captain, “A fantastic sports edifice in my motherland which I’m proud to have played there. I have bitter-sweet memories of the stadium so this piece of news is good to me.
“Kudos to everyone involved in bringing back that place to life. I hope to see the Eagles play there someday.”
According to Mutiu Adepoju, “It is a good thing that our stadiums are gradually getting into good shape, especially the national stadium in Lagos.
“It is great news and one must be happy about it and such developments are what we are looking for because this is what is good for our sports.
“Kudos should go to the minister for a good job.”
The statement also disclosed intentions to renovate the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna and to upgrade the infrastructure in Ife as the adopt-a-Pitch programs continue to be successful.
The National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, is undergoing renovations, which the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, promised will be finished shortly.
He said, “This facility was abandoned for many years. The stadium, unlike the Abuja Stadium, had a zero maintenance fund for almost 17 years, but we got Chief Adebutu Kesington to get it back to life.
“It took me a while to come here, but my coming is a validation of the fact that I’m impressed with the level of work that has been done. I hope we can host events here very soon once we get the place functional. We are going to clear the debris. The grass is being properly maintained and the tracks will soon be laid and we are good to go.”
