The Lagos State Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu at the weekend pledged to help resuscitate the National Stadium at Surulere to the benefit of the residents, especially the youth.
Speaking during the Lagos leg of Sports Minister, Sunday Dare’s tour of sporting facilities owned by the Federal Government, Sanwo-Olu lamented the state of the stadium, saying it had been left unused and promised to work with the sports ministry to ensure it was brought back to good use for everyone.
“We’ve seen the state of negligence, disuse at the National Stadium, Surulere. What we are taking away from here is that we have agreed to work with the ministry. We have indicated interest even from now, who we want to help manage and bring back the dead asset that we have here and turn it into a viable asset for our teeming youths and for the total population that reside in Surulere.
“We want where everyone can commune and express themselves. We can come and begin to develop a sporting future that our country truly needs. What you will see is that a process will start and there will be a shortlist of who will be the final concessionaire,” he said, adding that after the monument that was built since many years still remained solid as ever.
“That facility has been on for over 43 years and we can see that the infrastructure is still very strong. We just need to do a whole lot more to revamp it, put it into use, monitor and manage it. “We are also using this opportunity to tell all the people that are there in one form or the other and to know that change is coming and change is imminent and to say to them that it is for the benefit of everyone,” he stated.
