The National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, was built by the General Yakubu Gowon military administration in 1972 as a 55,000-capacity sporting facility. It was later redesigned in 1999 to a 45,000-capacity in order to meet FIFA requirements for the hosting right of the 1999 Junior World Cup. Till date, the highest number of fans that have sat in the stadium’s main bowl on a particular occasion is 85,000. That was when Nigeria trounced Algeria 3-0 to emerge winners of the 1980 African Cup of Nations.
In time past, the stadium used to be a centre of sporting excellence. It hosted the 1973 All Africa Games with Nigeria emerging the overall winner.
One of my most memorable moments at the stadium was in 2000 when the Super Eagles lost to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun at the final of the African Nations Cup. It was an epic and dramatic final. With over 85,000 soccer fans in a stadium that was designed to take 45,000, the arena was full beyond capacity. Within the first 20 minutes, the Cameroonians were ahead by two goals, thus silencing the usually vociferous Lagos fan. The Super Eagles eventually earned a remarkable equalizer, thanks to the legendary Jay-Jay Okocha’s soccer wizardry, but ultimately lost the match through penalty kicks. And tears flowed freely as players, coaching crew and the crowd wept sorely. Former Eagles’ captain and coach, Sunday Oliseh, wept uncontrollably as he climbed the podium to receive the runners-up trophy. It was a day the god of soccer and other forces conspired to deny the nation yet another soccer glory!
That was 17 years ago and since then, the stadium began a gradual descent into abyss. Today, the once dazzling ‘Sports City’ is in a mess as it is now home to street urchins, destitute, sex hawkers, drug peddlers and addicts and gamblers. To fully underscore its dwindling fortune, the stadium last hosted a major sporting event in 2004.
Worst hit are the nation’s national football teams which now have no suitable venue for vital matches. Sadly, most of the stadia where they play lack the aura and capacity of the National Stadium, Surulere. Though the Olusegun Obasanjo administration built a new stadium in Abuja in 2003, it can’t compare favourably with the Surulere Stadium in terms of fans turnout, thrill and business prospects. Sadly, the Abuja National Stadium is almost going the way of its precursor in Lagos.
Expectedly, the decay of the stadium and others across the country is already having grave implications on performance of the nation’s athletes in major global competitions. At the 2012 London Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal while it managed to win a bronze medal at 2016 Olympics in Rio.
The connotation of the neglect of the stadium and others across the country is far too grievous. We inadvertently shut the door against Nigerians who would have used the facilities to upgrade their sporting talents and ultimately use sports as escape route from poverty. Globally, sports have become a huge industry through which lots of youths have got fame and fortune.
Therefore, developing and investing in sports is one sure way of empowering the youths and other professionals (such as doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, athlete managers, etc) in the various sporting fields to become productively engaged. In this time of economic meltdown, encouraging youths to take to sports would surely be of immense benefit to the country.
Ironically, directly opposite the National Stadium is the Teslim Balogun Stadium which was commissioned by the Lagos State government in 2007. The condition of the two stadia is a classical example of a tale of two cities. While the National Stadium shamefully rots away, the Teslim Balogun Stadium flourishes with its properly maintained facilities and regular sporting activities. From its alluring synthetic pitch to the volleyball court, Indoor Sports Hall to the handball courts, Teslim Balogun Stadium depicts orderliness, elegance and aesthetics.
Recently, it was announced that an agreement has been reached between Federal Government and Lagos State government for the latter to take over the management of the National Stadium. While recently inspecting facilities at the stadium in company of Sports Minister Dalung and others, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode expressed his government’s eagerness to take over the stadium and transform it into a world-class sporting centre.
The crux of the matter, however, is that whichever way things eventually go, sincere efforts should be made by all concerned to ensure that the stadium regains its lost glory. For the sake of countless talented youths who could make decent living through sports, needless political considerations and other needless hurdles should not be made to stand in the way of every laudable plan to revive the ailing stadium.
Tayo Ogunbiyi
Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
