National Stadium, Lagos Tracks Installation Commences

“After all these have been done, a certified World Athletics tracks marker will then do the markings. There will be a 9 lane running track and the strip for jumps, which is for long and triple jumps,” disclosed Ayinla, who was part of the team that laid the last tracks at the stadium in 1998, twenty-four years ago and has been involved in the laying of such facilities in some other top class arena in Nigeria and beyond.

Already, there has been the installation of a digital scoreboard and a revamping of the football pitch of the stadium by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development through the Public-Private Partnership(PPP) arrangement and the Adopt a Pitch initiative put in place by the Sports Minister Sunday Dare.

On the rehabilitation of the terraces, the Minister confirmed that progress is being made in sourcing the funds needed for the project.

He said, “Our Adopt a Pitch arrangement with Premier Lotto for the Lagos National Stadium covers the pitch, tracks, and scoreboard and that is on course. We are also making progress in sourcing the funds to fix the terraces.”

Only last week, work began on the re-grassing of the pitch of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium(formerly called Liberty Stadium)in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The other high point of the sports infrastructure development drive of the Federal Government in the last three years has been the restoration of the playing turf of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja after many years of neglect.