The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has denied media reports claiming that he requested N21 billion to rehabilitate the National Stadium in Lagos. The stadium is currently being rehabilitated through a public-private partnership Adopt-A-Pitch initiative of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
In a press statement released by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Muhammed Manger, the Sports Minister stated that the Ministry has not requested or received any such amount from the government or any individual.
Contrary to the media report, the Minister clarified that the N21 billion figure was only mentioned as an estimated amount needed for the complete rehabilitation and upgrade of the national edifice, based on submissions made by different companies and contractors. He mentioned this figure during an interactive session with newsmen in Lagos last week. The Ministry stressed that the due processes involved in the execution of projects by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the government are still ongoing and that no such request or approvals have been made.
The National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, has been in a dilapidated state for years, and the rehabilitation project is aimed at restoring it to its former glory. The Adopt-A-Pitch initiative seeks to engage the private sector in the development of sporting infrastructure across the country, with a focus on community pitches.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has assured Nigerians that the project will be executed transparently and in accordance with due process, with the aim of delivering a world-class stadium that will promote sports development in the country. Keywords: Sports Minister, National Stadium Lagos, Adopt-A-Pitch, rehabilitation, N21 billion, due process, public-private partnership, sporting infrastructure, transparency, world-class stadium.
