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Nigeria Approves Nationwide Sports Infrastructure Renewal Programme
The Federal Government has approved a nationwide sports infrastructure renewal programme that includes rehabilitation of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium and upgrades to multiple facilities. The National Sports Commission announced the first phase of the plan earlier this week.
May 29, 3:29 AM·2m read1 source
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The Federal Government has approved a nationwide sports infrastructure renewal programme that includes rehabilitation of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium and upgrades to multiple facilities. The National Sports Commission announced the first phase of the plan earlier this week.
The initiative forms part of a broader sports development agenda aligned with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope programme.
The intervention will include complete rehabilitation and upgrade of the Abuja National Stadium, covering tracks, floodlights, athlete and media facilities, medical infrastructure, and training pitches. Additional elements include construction of a High Performance Centre, an anti-doping laboratory, redevelopment of the stadium's 200-room athletes' hostel into a hotel facility, installation of Video Assistant Referee technology, and creation of additional office spaces for sports federations.
Beyond Abuja, the programme will extend to rehabilitation of sports infrastructure across the country, support for states hosting future National Sports Festivals, development of elite training facilities, and construction of mini sports centres nationwide.
The plan also targets tertiary institutions by establishing sports facilities to strengthen grassroots development and revive school sports. "The unprecedented investments which is the first phase align with the Renewed Hope Agenda and shared prosperity vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and are designed to position sports as a driver of youth empowerment, economic growth, talent development, and national unity," the NSC stated.
For decades, poor maintenance, underfunding, and administrative instability have contributed to the decline of several major sporting facilities in Nigeria, including the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. Built ahead of the 2003 All Africa Games, the Abuja stadium has gradually deteriorated, with concerns raised about damaged facilities, poor playing surfaces, obsolete equipment, and inadequate maintenance culture.
