Following the decision of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) to withdraw the provisional approval for the Bako Konragora Stadium, home ground Niger Tornadoes, the club has elected to adopt the Lafia Township Stadium for the rest of the season.
The NPFL had also ruled that the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna, earlier adopted by Tornadoes is not fit to host league matches.
The decision of the NPFL was conveyed in a letter dated February 19, 2025 in which the league body cited the requirements of club licensing infrastructure criteria.
Tornadoes in their response on 23 February 2025 acknowledged the unsatisfactory conditions of the two stadiums and nominated the stadium in Nasarawa State.
‘I would like to inform you that we have selected Lafia Township Stadium in
Lafia, Nasarawa State, as our designated home ground. This stadium is among
those approved by the NPFL Board for hosting our home matches’, wrote Jibrin Haruna, the Secretary of the club.
He added that the club would work to mitigate the conditions of the Minna stadium to enable them return to their home fans.
‘The Niger State Government has commenced maintenance work through a reputable company to ensure that within two weeks the Bako Kontagora
Memorial Stadium, Minna meets all the criteria necessary for hosting NPFL
matches’, Jibrin stated.
In his reaction, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye noted that the NPFL will continue to monitor all grounds to ensure that those whose conditions fall short of requirements are delisted from approved grounds.
‘We have a monitoring mechanism to check that clubs conform to our rules especially as it relates to television friendly grounds’, stated Elegbeleye.
Lobi Stars is another club that was axed from their home ground for failure to meet the club licensing infrastructure criteria
