December 06, (THEWILL) – The Dangote Group of Companies has presented the federal government with a restored Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The company restored the football pitch and installed new digital score boards as its contribution to sports development in the country.
Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, said the move was an outcome of the federal government’s adopt-a-pitch initiative, which is an attempt to use private collaborations to achieve the government’s development goals in sports.
Dare reaffirmed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s commitment to the development of youth and sports in Nigeria and promised that the Ministry will continue to use its Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative to entice private investors to help rehabilitate and renovate all of the country’s stadia.
The minister insisted that the provision of sports facilities is critical to sports development. He said the “government will continue to provide an enabling environment for more partnerships with a view to giving sports its pride of place in the country.”
He praised the Dangote Group for providing the Moshood Abiola Stadium with the world’s most advanced turf technology, the very same turf used in Qatar’s 2022 World Cup stadia.
Dare also praised the contractors, Aron Nigeria Limited, for their perseverance in completing the project despite a two-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He urged them to ensure that the two-year maintenance period mentioned in the contract is fulfilled, adding that “Our expectation is that our national teams will play at the National Stadium. Our national teams need home advantage.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
