The Federal Government has stated its decision to rehabilitate the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (Liberty Stadium) in Ibadan as part of its drive to improve sporting activities in the country and prepare athletes for major international competitions.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, said this on Saturday when he paid a working visit to the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in continuation of his tour of sporting facilities around the country and the visiting of athletes of team Nigeria preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Speaking through his special assistant (projects) via his Twitter handle; @owoborodeBiodun, as a follow-up, the minister lamented the poor state of the facilities in the stadium and thereby vowed to remove every unwholesome structure in and around the stadium as it was done to the Surulere National Stadium, Lagos and Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The minister thereby appealed to private investors in the country utilize the public-private partnership of the government by rebranding and restructuring hostels around the stadium into hotels therefore generating revenue for the government and the investors.
According to him, “the non-functional hostel is a source of worry we plan to clear these illegal structures and turn the hostels into hotels.”
The minister had earlier visited two Olympic-bound Athletes Lawal Rufiyat Folashade and Liadi Taiwo, advising them to endeavour to fly the nation’s flag high.
Reacting to the minister’s kind gestures, the athletes expressed deep appreciation to the Minister for the cash incentive which they said is another soul lifting act to push them into doing more.