Nigerian athletes and their coaches have called on Sports Minister John Enoh to open the National Stadium for them to train.
This is coming against the background of their continued build up to the African and Olympics Games this year.
National athletes and their coaches based in Lagos and environs have nowhere to train after being locked out at the Yaba Tech sports ground and the Teslim Balogun Stadium where they trained when the former minister Sunday Dare shut down the National Stadium main-bowl for renovations since 2021.
“The National Stadium tracks are now in good shape, but are rotting away,” said coach Isaac Osagie Ikhabome.
“The sports minister should allow us to train there because we have nowhere else to do our build up in this African Games and Olympic year.”
Also speaking a top sprinter wondered why the running tracks of the National Stadium which were recently renovated could be left unused when athletes are looking for a training venue.
“I believe that the National Stadium Lagos is a public facility built by the government to aid sports development of what use it is when we can use it to train.
“For almost three years now we cannot train inside the main-bowl where almost every top athlete in Nigeria trained and competed in the past. The sports minister should consider those of us coming behind and allow us to use the stadium,” said the athlete
It was gathered that the Sports Ministry is ready to concession National Stadium this month, and it is not clear what would be the fate of the athletes wishing to use the stadium for training.
The concession of the National Stadium is shrouded in secrecy, the identity of the concessionaires and that yardstick for selecting them remain unknown. It is not also clear if the Sports minister has taken the interest of Nigerian athletes and other stakeholders into consideration in privatising the administration of the National Stadium.
