…Facility set for completion before end of 2022
The National Stadium, Surulere, will soon wear a new look, as the Federal Government’s bid to restore the edifice back to its old glory has received a major boost with the commencement of laying of its tartan tracks.
Kyle Next, one of the contracting companies handling the rehabilitation of the stadium, confirmed that the laying of the tracks has begun and could be finalised in four weeks time with the newly installed facility in place.
According to The Guardian, Sports facilities installation and management company, Ideal Sports’ Track Technical Specialist, Joseph Ayinla, disclosed that the tracks would be laid in stages.
“The first stage that commenced last week is the elastic layer (e-layer) stage, which will be followed with the sealant stage to make the tracks impermeable to water and other fluids. The third stage will be the coating stage.
“After all these have been done, a certified world athletics tracks marker will then do the markings. There will be a nine lane running track and the strip for jumps, which is for long and triple jumps,” Ayinla said.
The track technical specialist was part of the team that laid the last tracks at the stadium in 1998, 24 years ago, and has been involved in the laying of such facilities in some other top class arena in the country and beyond.
Already, there has been the installation of a digital scoreboard and a revamping of the football pitch of the stadium by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and the adopt a pitch initiative put in place by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare.
On the rehabilitation of the terraces, the minister confirmed that progress is being made to source for the funds needed for the project.
“Our adopt-a-pitch arrangement with Premier Lotto for the Lagos National Stadium covers the pitch, tracks and scoreboard and that is on course. We are also making progress in sourcing the funds to fix the terraces.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government last week began work on regrassing the pitch of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly called Liberty Stadium) in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Other highpoint of the sport infrastructure development drive of the sports ministry in the last three years has been the restoration of the playing turf of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, after many years of neglect.
