Featured image credit: Victor Zaviano/CC BY-SA 4.0
Nigeria’s National Sports Commission has announced a goal to establish at least six stadiums that meet FIFA standards in the country.
The body’s chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko and president Bola Ahmed Tinubu share the belief that renovation and proper maintenance of Nigeria’s infrastructure is essential for the development of sport.
“The lands that are available within the facilities of the National Sports Commission is over 2,500 hectares across the country,” Dikko said, as reported by the Daily Trust.
“Those lands will be used to be the bait to bring the private sector to utilise the land and get the sporting facilities to work.
“The focus we have over time is to have at least one stadium with full compliance with FIFA regulations in each of the zones, so that we have a minimum of six stadiums across the country at every point in time, ready to host any international tournament within two weeks of notice.
“These are the kind of visions we have and things we should be able to deliver, but the immediate priority will be to get the Abuja stadium working and develop a framework too for the national stadium in Lagos to start working much better.”
The Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja is Nigeria’s largest stadium with a capacity of 60,491 and hosts matches of the country’s national football teams.
It was built in 2003 as another main stadium in addition to Lagos National Stadium which has stood since 1972 and boasts a capacity of 45,000.
FIFA rates stadiums across a number of criteria, including the pitch, areas for players and officials, media and broadcast facilities, hospitality, accessibility, safety and security.
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