The National Stadium in Lagos has been in a state of abandonment. It is of an international standard. In time past, it had hosted live games that attracted international participants to compete for wins and these events brought so much honour to the country. The extra large stadium is located in the heart of Surulere, Lagos, The Lagos National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, which comprises of an Olympic-size swimming arena and a multipurpose arena used for athletics, rugby, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, wrestling and boxing matches. It was used mostly for football matches until 2004. It hosted several international competitions, including the 1980 African Cup of Nations final, the 2000 African Cup of Nations final, and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. It also served as the main stadium for the 1973 All-Africa Games. Who has swallowed the Stadium? Driving to the Stadium in the evening, the ground space is now being used for evening gathering, sit out and selling of light food such as pepper soup, fish and other street food most of us eat in Nigeria.
The Structure is super built and still very strong, but the game arena are obsolete seeking urgent need for repairs.
As a sporting facility it is supposed to be functional and generate greater returns for the Federal Government.
Despite its state of reckless disrepair, it is amazing to find athletes still use the obsolete equipment, and even happily too.
But now, water collects in huge pools around the stadium once it rains. A once magnificent edifice such as the National Stadium cannot be without standard equipment, drainage, flooring, gate house, security and resources to keep the facility functional.
Why these bends? What is the solution to straighten the bend? It will be better to improve on the visions of the founders of the great edifice and fix it for better wealth creation.
Nigeria is a sport loving country and today’s young persons still find their way to the tops of world games while managing the available mechanical equipment.
In the Surulere Stadium, athletes still struggle to meet world standards by qualifying for championships and defeating other countries with topnotch state of the art facilities. The difference and consistency of athletes winning their games would be frequent if the required funds and funding is provided for the authorities to maintain the structures replace obsolete equipment with updated tools, sporting apparatus and aids and the appropriate multivitamins for athletes to boost their confidence, productivity vitality and strength.
Nigerian athletes, of which young energetic male and female fall into the majority deserve to be encouraged by the authorities. There are increasing rate of unemployment, but if the Federal Government can be more committed to funding sports, it will create a major means of survival, creative participation, physical involvement in training for these young athletes and eventually curb crime in Nigeria. It is a way of treating the recent agitations witnessed every now and then in our country.
Permit me to speak in favour of Nigerian young people in countering the narratives that majority of them have become criminally minded due to idleness, they have taken to crime. This assertion is not correct and I want writers to look inwardly and see how hardworking young Nigerians are. They still believe in the government. They are only hoping that their voices will be heard by appropriate persons manning the sport leadership in Nigeria so that the right person will be put in the right holes.
The bends can be corrected if these older fathers and mothers in position of authority can deliberately empower sports and extra curricular activities. Nigeria youths are vibrant, they are naturally endowed with strength, but the requisite motivation and mentoring need to be emplaced to encourage to further encourage the athletes to compete for greatness.
The stadium can be sold to private business owners to take over the total management from the government as a clever way to bring the athletes closer to their dreams and the private business owners can maximise the structure by repairing it to world standards and with time full sporting events can hold in the stadium. This solutions will further create jobs for those that will be entrusted with maintenance, and the ideal mind will be engaged.
The National Stadium is a huge investment and it’s a legacy that must not be allowed to remain in its current state of abandonment.
. Lilian Mabeek is a writing enthusiast who enjoys to captivate her readers with everyday happenings or experiences as it best soothes each person, having similar and peculiar reactions and interaction with daily life occurrences. As an inspirational writer focused on indelible prints of positivity of the minds on anyone reading a line or pages as it were, she prefers not to delve into negative stories or publications, but rather intentionally purges the minds of readers to awaken to a beautiful world where endless joy is found and possibilities exist. For Mabeek, her purpose is to bring peaceful memories, coexistence and friendliness to the mind of anyone who reads her daily digest. You can describe her choice of expression as a daily English usage for better comprehension among readers of all educational qualifications. Mabeek’s passion for writing was borne out of ensuring that anyone reading any publication will find pleasure, humour, laughter and an appreciation of whatever is being written about, but ultimately avert stress, anxiety, depression and any form of life challenge. As a social commentator and public relations consultant, for her the pen is a tool to the heart of the society, bringing public enlightenment that it pays to focus on positive narratives and creating a greater image for Nigeria.
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