Exclusive: MKO Abiola stadium pitch turns green, scoreboards come alive

Sportsrevelation exclusively reports that the contractors handling the renovation works at the mainbowl pitch and the refurbishment of the two electronic scoreboards have been working round the clock to deliver on their mandate, although the jobs have exceeded the delivery date.

An on-the-spot assessment of the rehabilitation work at the stadium located at Abuja City Gate on Wednesday showed that the coming of the rains in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have helped in the rapid growth of the imported grasses planted in the mainbowl pitch which hitherto was a cattle-grazing field.

Also, two brand new electronic scoreboards have been mounted after the unserviceable scoreboards were dismantled by the contractors many months ago.

Although Sports Minister, Chief Sunday Dare had during the handing over ceremony of Moshood Abiola National Stadium to Dangote Group for the rehabilitation of the mainbowl pitch in August last year insisted that the work will be completed in 24 weeks, the contractors failed to complete the job on schedule for undisclosed reasons. For this reason no date has been fixed for the handing over the pitch to Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development.

Sportsrevelation authoritatively reports that neither Super Eagles nor Super Falcons will return to Abuja for now as no football activities will take place in the mainbowl pitch till the newly planted grasses have been confirmed to have matured enough to withstand 90 minutes game pressure.

The Minister had at the handing over ceremony last year in Abuja asserted that the promise he made on his assumption of office that the pitch and indeed other facilities will be revived, is in line with the ministry’s policy of “Adopt Campaign’ which has also seen Lagos business mogul. Sir Kensington Adebutu of Baba Ijebu fame taken up the rehabilitation of the mainbowl of National Stadium Surulere, Lagos at an undisclosed financial cost.

“I promised that this pitch and indeed other facilities will be revived and put to best use by athletes… in line with that mandate, we sought the support of many philanthropists and sold them our vision of bringing back the glory days when our national stadia were filled to capacity on football game days which were the melting pot of various cultures and people of all ages”, Dare said at Moshood Abiola National Stadium last year.