Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja that was built in 2003 with a huge sum of tax payers’ money has become a shadow of itself due to poor maintenance of the facility by successive governments. SAMSON BENJAMIN in this report examines the state of the stadium amidst calls for it to be made the permanent venue for Super Eagles’ matches.
The stadium
On October 4, 2003, former President Olusegun Obasanjo officially commissioned a new 60,000-capacity national stadium for the 8th edition of the All Africa Games tagged ‘Abuja 2003.’
Prior to the opening ceremonies, President Obasanjo had described the stadium as “a symbol of peace and unity through sports in Nigeria, Africa and the whole world,” just as he emphasised the need to maintain the stadium as a national monument that was built with a whopping $360 million.
The stadium is the biggest in Nigeria and was rated among the 50 most expensive stadiums in the world when it was commissioned.
After hosting the football finals of the 2003 All Africa Games, the stadium has hosted several other international matches including the finals of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup which Nigeria lost to debutants Switzerland.
On June 12, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari re-named the Abuja National Stadium as the Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola Stadium. The president made the decision to honour the late businessman, sports philanthropist and widely acclaimed winner of the June 12 presidential election in 1993.
World-class facilities
Describing the stadium, a sport analyst, Kanife Ugochuckwu, said it was built according to international standards and could compete with those of Europe and America in terms of facilities when it was commissioned in 2003.
He said, “When the magnificent stadium was built, it was designed and engineered in compliance with the requirements of international sport associations, particularly the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
“The Abuja National Stadium which has been re-named MKO Abiola National Stadium consists of a 60,491-capacity covered main bowl, a presidential suite and viewing area, 56 corporate suites, modern turnstiles, a box office, post offices, banks and media facilities.
“It also met international safety standards as there are emergency service units, closed circuit security cameras, crowd control steel fencing as well as stand-by fire-fighting equipment and metal detectors which unfortunately have either been destroyed or stolen.
“Other facilities are two scoreboards and floodlights, shops and kiosks for snacks, a stand-by power supply system, a Helipad, a 3000 capacity indoor sports hall, a 2000-capacity gymnasium, a 2000-capacity swimming pool, a 4000-vehicle parking lot, an artificial lake, tennis courts, a 3000-capacity hockey stadium, a 400-capacity VIP car park, baseball, softball complex and a velodrome which was once destroyed by thunderstorm two hours before the closing ceremonies of the 8th All Africa Games.”
Things’ve fallen apart
However, 18 years later, the once breath-taking architectural masterpiece is now a shadow of its old self as most of the facilities stadium were allowed to waste away due to poor maintenance.
Ayogu Gideon, a sports journalist, told Blueprint Weekend that facilities in the stadium were vandalised because the federal government did not listen to the advice of professional sports administrators.
“Shortly after the All Africa Games won by Nigeria, a former director-general of the National Sports Commission, Amos Adamu and other sports administrators advised the government to privatise the Abuja stadium immediately in order to forestall any vandalism and looting typical of publicly owned buildings, but his advice fell on deaf ears.
“Sadly, due to its neglect, herdsmen at a point turned the multi-billion naira stadium into a grazing area for their cows with the Olympic Velodrome used then as a warehouse while the Olympic swimming pools were solely used by tadpoles. The hotel within the complex was, in turn, a shelter for the homeless.
“Unfortunately, since the stadium was built and delivered by Julius Berger and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) in 2003, no year passes without the sports ministry including millions for the maintenance of the sporting edifice in its budget without commensurate result.
“In the 2020 budget, the sports ministry allotted the sum of N170 million for maintenance of the stadium and the amount has since risen to N250 million in the 2021 budget of the ministry.
Super Eagles’ matches
Due to the poor state of the playing turf, the national soccer team, the Super Eagles, have been playing matches in different cities across the country. This does not go down well with many football fans, especially those in Abuja, who want the stadium to be made the permanent venue for Super Eagle matches.
A football enthusiast and owner of Future Stars, a football club in Abuja, Alhassan Shehu, told this reporter that the lack of a permanent home is one of the problems of the Super Eagles.
He said, “The Nigeria senior national team has been bewildered with problems both on and off the pitch down the years, but one of the biggest issues has actually been finding a pitch that they can call home.
“The National Stadium Lagos had been the traditional base of the national team for nearly two decades, where historic moments such as the 1980 and 2000 Africa Cup of Nations finals were witnessed.
“After the completion of the 2003 All Africa Games, the Super Eagles moved to the political capital and played at the Abuja National Stadium, but it was used only for a couple of years, with venues reshuffled to different cities like Kano, Kaduna, Calabar, Asaba, and Port Harcourt.
“Since 2015, the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo has hosted the Super Eagles’ home games, but their most recent match was taken to Teslim Bologun Stadium Lagos where they played Lesotho in an African Cup of nations’ qualifier.
Poor maintenance
Also speaking with our reporter, a football enthusiast in Abuja, Chinedu Obi, said the poor maintenance of the facilities at the stadium may be the reason for the Super Eagles not playing in the nation’s capital, considering what they are used to in Europe and other parts of the world.
According to him, “The Abuja National Stadium was built to host the 8th All African Games in 2003 and by then was the biggest jewel in Nigeria’s sporting infrastructure.”
“However, the last time the Super Eagles played in the stadium was in 2012. The last time I visited the stadium in 2019, cows had taken over the stadium as herdsmen found the grasses there very appetising for their livestock.
“That goes to tell you the poor maintenance culture we have as a nation, though the stadium is now being renovated. The Abuja national stadium, which hosted the 2009 Under-17 FIFA World Cup, which Switzerland won by beating Nigeria in the final, was allowed to deteriorate to a pitiable sight, whereas other states renovated and constricted enviable stadiums to attract the Super Eagles attention,” he said.
He continued: “In fact, upon completion of the Akwa Ibom stadium, the Super Eagles of Nigeria considered it a safe hunting ground, where many matches were prosecuted until 2019.
“It was only after recording some poor results that the Super Eagles started paying attention to other states, including Benin City. The match between Nigeria and Lesotho in Lagos was a kind of home-coming considering that the Super Eagles hadn’t played in Lagos for more than 20 years.”
Similarly, in a chat with Blueprint Weekend, Aliyu Usman Vulegbo, a sport analyst, decried poor management of the facility.
“Well, there is absolutely no reason Nigeria should invest so much in a monumental edifice like the Moshood Abiola National Stadium and leave it lying fallow. It doesn’t make sense.
“Because of poor maintenance, the stadium became unfit for matches. And that’s where the challenge is, really. Nigeria’s infamous poor maintenance culture has made it difficult to keep the soul of the stadium alive. Hence the exoduses to venues like Uyo and Lagos where the pitches are playable.
“As for the decay, it is purely about the failure of facility management. Investments like the National Stadium need to have events going on there, otherwise, it would become decrepit and rot away. With no matches going on there, maintaining it with no activity going on becomes like a wasteful venture. With a facility manager for it, however, it would get the needed attention because they would need to keep fit for business and engagements.
“But the dearth of sports generally has contributed. We make it look as if the stadium is a place for football alone. So, we have to explore other sporting means to keep the facility busy. And this has to follow a business model that allows for the stadium to generate money for its own maintenance.”
‘Bad omen’
Aside from poor maintenance of the stadium, Vulegbo said the Nigerian Football Federation may have moved Super Eagles’ matches to other venues because they struggle to win matches in the stadium, coupled with the fact that Abuja residents are not ‘crazy’ about football like other cities.
“There is also the question of superstition. The Super Eagles have struggled in Abuja, only qualifying for the 2010 World Cup by the skin of their teeth and failing to qualify for 2012 under Samson Siasia.
“This coupled with the fact that Abuja fans haven’t shown so much enthusiasm towards the team may have been some of the factors. During important matches in both World Cup and AFCON qualifiers, the 60,000-capacity giant barely halved its capacity. This could count as a disadvantage when you consider the place of home fans as the 12th man.”
Fans’ views
However, football fans who spoke with Blueprint Weekend were divided as to whether the stadium should be made the permanent home of the Super Eagles.
Abdul Mohammed said, “The constant switching of venues has negatively affected the Super Eagles. There is a need for the Nigerian Football Federation to make MKO Stadium Abuja its permanent home as is the case with many of the world’s major football nations. Fix the national stadium and bring the super eagles back home!”
Itoro Johnson on his part said, “For a very long time I have been wondering why the Super Eagles go to Calabar, Uyo or other state’s stadiums to play matches instead of the Abuja National Stadium.
“All over the world, football is a big business. I am still not convinced about the reason for hosting Super Eagle home matches in Abuja, because all you see are empty seats. Abuja fans are not passionate about football. Nigerian are passionate about their team, why not play these matches in Warri, Lagos, Kano or Calabar where the real football fans can support the team without being begged to come to the stadium? Are the people in charge of the football administration trying to satisfy the politician in Abuja by playing in an empty stadium? When Super Eagles are playing in Abuja, it’s absurd to watch on TV how football officials urging people to come and support the Super Eagles.”
FCT FA boss’ take
Meanwhile, the FCT Football Association chairman, Adam Mouktar Mohammed, has said he would back any initiative to get the Super Eagles to return to play at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
He said, “We need to bring the Super Eagles back home. That is what we are all yearning for. And I have always maintained that I will support any initiative that will bring our national team back to Abuja for the stadium to become a fortress.
“The grass pitch needs expertise to maintain it all-year round. We not only have to maintain the pitch, but also sustain this maintenance and this will cost money.”
Dangote’s efforts, minister’s avowals
Meanwhile, the stadium is witnessing a turnaround and rehabilitation courtesy of Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote. The abandoned stadium would soon be the destination for home matches of the nation’s fixture, in age-grade competitions for both male and female teams.
The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, stated this when he flagged off and handed over the pitch to Dangote Group, for the commencement of rehabilitation by Messrs Aron Nigeria Ltd.
He said, “I promised that this pitch and, indeed, other facilities will be revived and put to best use by athletes… in line with that mandate, we sought the support of many philanthropists and sold them our vision of bringing back the glory days when our national stadia were filled to capacity on football game days which were the melting pot of various cultures and people of all ages.”
Deadline not met
On the other hand, the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development has said the renovation of the MKO Abiola National stadium, Abuja will be completed in June 2021. This is contrary to the earlier promise that the renovation work on the edifice being funded by business Dangote would be completed in February.
In September 2020, the federal government contracted a Lagos-based construction company, Aron Nigeria Limited, and gave it 24 weeks for the renovation of some parts of the stadium. However, the sports minister recently assured that the on-going rehabilitation work at the stadiums in Abuja and Lagos would be accelerated and completed “as quickly as possible.”
“The on-going rehabilitation work at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium undertaken by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, courtesy of Chief Adebutu Kensington will soon be completed.
“We started by ejecting illegal occupants, cleared illegal structures to bring out the beauty of the edifice which is comparable to any top Stadium in the world. By the schedule of the contractors, the rehabilitation will be completed by June,” he said.
