By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Those expecting the Super Eagles and other national football teams to return to the renamed Moshood Abiola Stadium Abuja soon, may have to wait a little longer as renovation work has stalled at the site.
Prompt News reports that no activity is currently going on at the site few weeks before the end of the first quarter of 2021 handover date given to Aron Construction Limited, a company undertaking the renovation of the mainbowl on behalf of Dangote Group which is bankrolling the entire cost of the job.
Nearly five months after Prompt News exclusive reports on the slow pace of work on the site, another visit to the stadium Wednesday revealed that the contractor may have moved men and materials out of the site as no single worker was seen working on the two dis-used electronic scoreboards and excavated mainbowl pitch.
Pegs and sharp sands are still littering the mainbowl just as no single recommended
grass has neither been brought to site nor planted in the field to replace the excavated mainbowl pitch.
Attempt to speak to an official or staff of Aron Construction Company on why there are no activities in the mainbowl proved abortive because there was no single personnel to answer questions while Sports Ministry officials approached to comment on the matter politely declined to speak.
However, only members of para-military outfit and stadium security keeping watch over the stadium were on hand to keep watch over the facilities.
The Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development handed over the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja to Dangote Group for the renovation work at an elaborate ceremony in the second quarter of 2020 in the presence of top government officials including the Chairman of
Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba.
The hand over which was done under the Adopt-A-Pitch Campaign of the ministry initiated by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare was part of the sports development programmes of the minister.
Constructed during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime (1999-2007), the Abuja stadium which hosted the 2003 All Africa Games (COJA 2003) and was designed to be the home turf of Nigeria’s senior male football team, Super Eagles and all the national football teams have not hosted any match in a decade and half.
This state of affairs may continue with the snail-speed with which the present renovation works are progressing.
