Former governor of Lagos State and immediate past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has called for a shift in the remodelling of Nigerian stadia to become a hub for sports and entertainment.
Fashola spoke as a guest speaker during the book presentation of veteran sports journalist Mumini Alao’s Autobiography at the Tayo Aderinokun Hall, University of Lagos, Akoka, on Sunday.
In his address titled “Re-thinking the current football business model in Nigeria as a catalyst for sports development”, Fashola addressed the infrastructural challenge of Nigerian sports, noting that the remodelling can also attract people to the stadiums.
Currently, Nigeria has two CAF-accredited stadia: the 60,000-capacity Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja and the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, among the many facilities scattered across the country.
The former Lagos State governor made the call for a shift, as well as safety concerns.
“The first thing to say is that modern arenas – with multi-purpose functions, will attract people, increased media coverage, safe parking, reliable transport services into and out of the venue, and the safety of the patrons and their families – will assure them,” Fashola said.
“Whilst still on infrastructure, we must recognise the need to modify the medium-term existing facilities and build new ones as multi-purpose centres for sports, concerts, meetings, retail outlets, spas, and kids’ play pens. This is what will bring families, not just individuals.
“Also, the era of large capacity stadia and those located in the outskirts of towns is dying. FIFA is favouring community-based stadia like the Agege Stadium with local ownership, and they range from over 5,000 to 20,000 capacities.
“Fourth, if we are to bring people to these arenas, they must feel safe not only to come but to bring their families and therefore, safety and security is non-negotiable.”
Aside from being a former governor and ex-minister, Fashola has been a respected figure for his contributions to sports development in Nigeria.
Recently, the International Table Tennis Federation Africa named the maiden edition of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup after him.
