BY SEGUN OLANREWAJU
Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh on Thursday embarked on a visit to the National Stadium Surulere Lagos.
Enoh who was taken around the stadium by Director of Facilities and Stadium Management, Alanamu Abolore accompanied by other Directors in the Ministry, visited virtually every section of the stadium including the Main Bowl, Indoor Sports Hall, Table Tennis Hall, tennis courts, squash court, swimming pool, boxing gym, the Brai Ayonote Boxing Complex, the National Institute for Sports (NIS) and the Medical Centre.
The Minister, who was visibly sad about the stadium’s state, expressed regrets about the stadium’s bad state, saying that he wept for the edifice.
“It’s unfortunate that a national edifice like the National Stadium is in this bad state and this shouldn’t be the symbol of our sports in a city referred to as the Sportscity. In fact, what I saw is not good for the sports development of this country and I weep for the facilities.”
The Minister said he was happy with the job Aliko Dangote and Kessington Adebutu (Baba Ijebu) were doing at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja and the National Stadium Surulere Lagos: saying it was evidence that the involvement of the private sector is critical to rehabilitation of sporting facilities and sports development.
He said he was happy that the process of concession of the facilities was ongoing and should be sustained, positing that he endorsed the process.
Enoh who said that his focus would be centred on sports development that will involve developing facilities at the grassroots where talents abound, running leagues in other sports where the country has a comparative advantage as well as being Minister of all sports pledged to offer quality leadership and commitment to his work.
