…Assures of improved facilities
By Mohammed Mohammed
The Minister of Sports Development Senator, John Enoh, has hit the running assuring that government will ensure the resuscitation and turn-around of the facilities at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
He promised that the facilities will be upscaled to meet international best standards adding that the facilities remain the country’s national monument.
According to him: “Amidst the so much that I have seen here, the positives and the negatives, this stadium is a very definitive national monument.
“There is about nothing that you will find elsewhere, that you cannot find here.”
He however acknowledged that from 2003 till date, the facility has gone through a lot.
Enoh, said: “The Ministry under my leadership will do all that it can, to get every part of the stadium functional, including the athletes hostel, because athletes must have the best, to be the best.”
He explained that the tour he embarked on today, was to enable him have, not only a first hand knowledge of the state of the edifice but also for a systematic approach towards ensuring the development of sports in the country
“We embarked on this tour because whatever one wants to do, we have to do it from a standpoint of knowledge, and that is what I am doing. Yesterday (Tuesday) was my first day at work and I had the opportunity to take reports and briefings from all the departments. We are trying to be as systematic as we can, with the process*, he said
“Facilities and infrastructures are key components of sports, and they are variables that drive both elite performance and grassroots development. It is therefore very important that we get it right, we must maintain the current infrastructure that we have and look towards making them better, to match what we have across the world.” He said.
The Minister explained that sports is a peculiar sector that excites so much passion in all Nigerians. This passion, he added, led to the decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make the sector stand alone and also appoint him to pilot the affairs of the sector.
The Minister, alongside the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar who were led on the inspection tour by the Director of Facilities and Stadium Management in the Ministry, Engr. Alanamu Abolore, assured further that he will soon embark on the same tours of sporting facilities across the country to assess their state in order to take definitive action on their development
Enoh, reiterated his call on relevant stakeholders to join hands with the government with a view to developing sports not only as a recreation but also to contribute to the economic development of the country
Earlier, Abubakar, assured that officials and staff of the Ministry will continue to ensure the full implementation of the policies, initiatives, programmes and projects of the Federal Government for the growth and development of the nation.
