The minister of youth and sports development, Mr Sunday Dare, has revealed that as part of his resolve to ensure that Nigeria is not lacking in befitting sports facilities across the country plans have reached the final stage of transfering the Ahmadu Bello Stadium to Kaduna State government.
He said the 16,000 capacity stadium which was designed by English architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry in 1965 will be handed over to the state government for further expansion into a multi-sports facility in line with the federal government’s adopt-a-sports facility initiative.
Dare, whose administration as Nigeria’s Sports Minister has recorded an unprecedented revamp of sports infrastructures in the country, disclosed this while speaking to newsmen in Abuja recently, saying good infrastructures are the fulcrum of sports development.
“We came to the realisation that at the heart of sports development is to have infrastructures and facilities that are befitting for such lofty ambitions. So my team and I, set out a grand plan to change the narrative on sports infrastructures in Nigeria.
“Due to the capital-intensive nature of these projects, we engaged the private sector to see how we could leverage on public-private partnerships and we brought the private sector on board. We are at the last stage of handing over the Ahmadu Bello Stadium to Kaduna State government for transformation and to keep it,” Dare said.
Since the start of Sunday Dare’s administration, the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja has been revived and has gone on to pass the FIFA and CAF test, as it has hosted a number of international matches.
Also, the National Stadium, Surulere which was abandoned for years is on the verge of being completely turned around. Moreso, the Daura Township Stadium has been transformed for the utilization of about 45 teams in the area, after the famous ground was left to rot. The Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan and other facilities are also set for transformation under the wholesome plans of the Ministry led by Hon. Sunday Dare.
