National Sports Commission (NSC) boss Shehu Dikko has vowed to revive the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, and other sporting facilities across the country through public-private partnerships.
Dikko made this known after an unscheduled visit to the National Stadium in Lagos, as part of ongoing efforts to concession the facility to the private sector for rehabilitation and transformation into a multi-purpose sporting, entertainment and commercial arena.
‘It’s quite sad that an iconic national edifice of this nature was left unattended for decades to rot to this stage despite its rich history and potential to be a huge sporting, entertainment and commercial hub in line with the best international practices’, Dikko wrote on his Facebook page.
The NSC chairman, acknowledged the contribution of philanthropist Chief Kessington Adebutu, who helped revive the pitch, tracks and scoreboard of the stadium under former Sports Minister Sunday Dare’s ‘adopt a facility’ initiative.
Dikko revealed that the commission is working to conclude the concessioning of the stadium and source investors to develop the available land within the facility to create a sports city within the complex.
‘The NSC is very committed and confident that within the framework of the RHINSE (Renewed Hope for Nigeria’s Sports Economy) program and indeed the overall Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, this iconic edifice and several of our national stadiums and other sporting infrastructures across the country will be brought to life through a sustainable PPP and concession program’, he added.
Other stadiums earmarked for rehabilitation include the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi, Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, and Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
The NSC has also proposed and concluded plans for the full rehabilitation of the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, main bowl in the 2025 fiscal year.
This development comes on the heels of President Tinubu’s significant increase in the sports sector’s budget allocation from N29bn in 2024 to over N94 billion in 2025, representing a 227 per cent increase.
Speaking during a budget defense session at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja recently, Dikko outlined plans to upgrade various stadia across the country and construct 100 mini-stadiums nationwide as part of efforts to boost grassroots sports development.
The NSC’s vision aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda’s goal of establishing sports as a vital pillar of Nigeria’s economy, targeting about three million direct, indirect and induced jobs, and a contribution of about three per cent to the National Gross Domestic Product.
The ambitious plan includes institutional repositioning through restructuring the sports sector framework, which began with the establishment of the NSC and ongoing upscaling of the Establishing Act to meet global best practices.
Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Kabiru Amadu, has urged the NSC to ensure judicious utilisation of the allocated funds, expressing hope that the increased budget would address several challenges in the sports sector, including decaying infrastructure and insufficient funding for over 40 sports federations.
