Aduda’s committee begins inspection tour of National Stadium Lagos

The permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Gabriel Aduda, who is the chairman of the Ministerial Task Force set up by the Minister, Mr. Sunday Dare, to restore sanity to the National Stadium, Lagos, will lead his members to a fact-finding tour of the facility today.

According to the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, John Joshua Akanji, the committee would be joined by top officials of the Lagos State Urban Planning Commissioner, Dr. Idris Salako, to verify occupants and also identify illegal structures at the complex.

The tour, according to Akanji, is prelude to the rehabilitation and planned concession of the edifice constructed in 1972 ahead of the Second All Africa Games in 1973 hosted by Nigeria.

The National Stadium, Lagos, which is also known as Sports City, the home of the country’s national teams, hosted many national and international competitions before it started deteriorating due to neglect.

The complex now harbours destitute persons, drinking parlours and some illegal structures, which has defaced what was once the pride of a nation.

Akanji revealed Dare’s determination to recover the structure, which holds fond memories for Nigerian sportsmen and other people.

He said work on all the other national stadiums in Kaduna and Abuja were at advanced stage, adding that Lagos has approval for concession.

According to Akanji, Dare said before the process of concession is complete, “we need to restore sanity to the place. So the work of the task force is cut out.

“In the past, we had interlopers, now it is going to be fixed to serve our teeming youth. The task force will carry out its assignment according to the law of the land.”

He said the committee would “audit the approved tenants, verify details of tenancy agreement, come up with list of all approved and unapproved physical structures and approved construction, list of all squatters and their businesses, investigate staff of the ministry, who allowed the presence of the squatters, carry out a detailed analysis of all revenue generated at the stadium and take inventory of all shops and businesses within the stadium premises.”

Akanji said the committee has 21 days to complete its assignment, adding that the minister had also ordered illegal occupants of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja to vacate the complex within 25 days to enable rehabilitation work begin on the structure.