Casualties averted as Lagos stadium floodlights collapse

By Daily Sports Nigeria on April 20, 2023

The National Stadium, Lagos is again in the news for the wrong reason after one of the floodlights inside the dilapidated sporting arena collapsed following a downpour Wednesday morning.

No casualties were recorded, eyewitnesses told The PUNCH.

Our correspondent learnt one of the floodlights pillars in Terrace K of the stadium caved in from the middle, forcing the floodlights to land on the empty space beside it.

An eyewitness, Temitope Oloyede, an athlete, who was at the stadium for his routine training, told The PUNCH, “We took cover in one of the buildings at the stadium because of the heavy rains and windstorm, when we heard a loud noise. We didn’t know it was the floodlights that had collapsed until after the rain, when we resumed our training. Thank God no death or injury was recorded.”

He also urged the government to immediately renovate the edifice to avoid a “future disaster.”

“Athletes and people who visit the stadium for fun were lucky it was raining heavily and were not around the scene. It could have been worse,” Oloyede added.

“We are calling on the incoming government to help forestall further mishaps at the stadium by renovating it. It’s apparent the present government won’t be able to do that now.”

Wednesday’s incident comes barely two weeks after the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, who was on an inspection visit to the National Stadium to assess the level of work at the decaying national monument, said the Federal Government would need a staggering N21bn to renovate the stadium.

The minister confirmed that the integrity test carried out on the stands at the stadium revealed that only only 40 per cent was certified okay.

“What is needed to fix the National Stadium Surulere after 17 plus years of neglect is in excess of 21 billion naira, about 45 million dollars, of which we have just about 500m naira from private and government funding. There is a limit to what can be fixed,” the 56-year-old minister wrote on Twitter after his latest inspection of the stadium.

“Upon assumption of office in 2019, I met the National Stadium in a completely run down state. Left to rot for almost 17 plus years. No renovations (or) upgrades. Illegal occupants had taken over. The Illegal occupants had  distorted the original plan.”

The stadium, built in 1972, was one of Africa’s iconic sporting arenas at the time and hosted top international sporting events like the  African Games in 1973, the 1980 and 2000 African Cup of Nations finals and the U-20 World Cup (1999).

However, the stadium has been left to rot for close to two decades, with successive administrations only paying lip service to its renovation.


Source Punch Ng

Posted April 20, 2023


 

You may also like...
Joshua moves ahead Fury in new WBC rankings...

Ronaldo posts record 200 million fans on social...

Nigerians To Watch In Action This Weekend In...

Steffen At The Double As Wolfsburg Go Third...

Lobi Stars Battle Wydad Casablanca to a Standstill...

Man United Crash Out Of Champions League After...

 

Latest News Nigeria beat Cameroon to reach IHF final 27 schools for Doregos Basketball Championship Super Falcons to play France’s Les Bleues in friendly SWAN suspends ban on coverage of Anambra FA activities Joshua among boxing’s top three earners in 2024 Oshoala makes history with Bay FC Nnamani hails team over IHF bright start Flamingos lift U-17 W’Cup Fair Play Trophy Rangers Intl, SWAN partner on sports collaboration in SE LAGOS SWAN CELEBRATES AIG ZONE 2 ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND 30 DAYS IN OFFICE Traders Cup: Upholstery Soccer Team Secured 2nd Win To Advance To Round Two Lagos SWAN Celebrates Oba Akiolu, Iyaloja General, AIG Fayoade

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,141 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,269 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,350 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (43,991 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,931 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,878 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,718 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,288 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,332 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,035 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,489 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,916 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media