Need to reopen the National Stadium, Lagos

Ater the feverish dread of Coronavirus, virtually all socio-economic sectors are now back to life. Schools, markets, churches, malls, hotels, restaurants, clubs, mass transportation including air, rail and road travels, offices and various other businesses have resumed activities.

Only the sports sector in Nigeria has remained sluggish in coming back. Across the world, sport has resumed and Nigerian fans have reconnected with their loves in the European leagues, tennis grand slams, Formula One etc. Even though these have been without spectators, the people join through the broadcasts and the sports organisations are back in business.

The situation is so different here. Sports is still locked in. The government earlier gave a clear for the resumption of non-contact sports and later announced same for contact and team sports with the proviso for strict observance of COVID-19 protocols. Accordingly, the Nigeria Professional Football League has projected to resume by November ending, perhaps giving time to ensure the clubs put all health safety requirements in place. The Lagos State Government has equally opened its facilities with due provisions and monitoring of COVID protocols.

The sports ministry ought now to brace up to also open critical sports facilities under its charge for training, public health and businesses.

The National Stadium, Lagos, for instance, is still under lock. It is unclear if that is still for COVID-19 or for the planned renovation. 

The continued lock not only has constrained access to training facilities for elite and intermediate sports men and women, it also puts back various facilities on the part of decay for non usage.

While it is understood that the Main Bowl is billed for renovation and concessioning with plans to build a standard mall to host sports merchandise and hospitality businesses, a number of the existing sports facilities are not reasonably affected and should not be left to remain redundant.

For instance, there are no issues with the Swimming Pool. Once it was abandoned for about 20 years but, thankfully, there was a Public-Private partnership to repair it and it was in good shape before the stadium was locked. Its continued redundancy will inflict spoilages on its various systems and components. This will take us back to its former bad state and would new funds to restore it again. This unnecessary waste can simply be avoided by opening it up for use. 

It is especially so as swimming is clearly a non contact sport. Even at that, we can be sure that the managers of the facility can provide and enforce the necessary COVID health and safety measures.

The same goes for the Tennis section. Tennis is a non contact sports also. Besides, the tennis playing community and recreational users of the facility are very organised, have always funded its maintenance and supported the training of both professional and young talents. There can be no issues with their observance of health and safety protocols or of keeping the sanitary integrity of the facility.

Other facilities like the weightlifting and Powerlifting gymnasiums fall under this same category. They are all non contact sports. 

So too, for recreational sports. To a large extent, they are mostly non contact. Talk about jogging, cycling and aerobics. Interestingly too, the recreation sports people only use empty spaces, drive and walk ways in the stadium and they are organised into clubs whose leaders can responsibly provide and enforce COVID protocols and even support government in same regard.

In line with the principles of sports for all and its benefits for public health, the stadium has through the decades provided space for recreation sports. This is so because our system does not provide such space, safety and facilities in the inner communities. To withdraw this allowance as it stands would be knowingly killing the population through inactivity.

I dare also suggest too that since hotel businesses are open, the Kenneth Minimah Boxing Hostel which functions both as a camp for athletes and as a hotel should also be allowed to operate. 

Besides the fact that it generates revenue, leaving it redundant will bring it's entire structure and furnishings to decay.

Indeed, the Honourable Minister’s plan for the renovation of the stadium is very welcome, but it behoves the authorities to also consider partial access to some of the facilities for sports men and women to get back to sporting activities both for training, fitness and public health reasons. 

We cannot just lock the stadium and other government sports facilities away indefinitely, especially given the people's need for them and the dearth of facilities that our sports system suffers.

Reopening the National Stadium for limited access and usage of these facilities cannot in any way affect or constrain the planned renovation of the stadium at any time the government or the would be concessionaire is ready to start the renovation works.

We just can be a bit more pragmatic in the handling of the National Stadium, albeit with closer supervision, enforcements and monitoring.