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Former Director in the Ministry of Sport, Dr. Ademola Are, has expressed dismay over recent outcry about the N21 billion needed to completely fix the National Stadium, Surulere.
Speculations and mixed reactions about the cost of renovating the National Stadium, Surulere seems to have missed some vital points as investigations revealed that contrary to the report of a National Newspaper, that the Ministry has requested a sum of N21b from the government. This is not true because investigations revealed that the Ministry has not requested or received such money from the Federal Government.
The Minister of Sports only mentioned the estimated amount for the complete Renovation of the National stadium, Surulere based on the submission of a company and such estimates, are subject to review; according to industry experts.
The reactions that have followed this disclosure have been unfortunate, uninformed and unprogressive.
However, based on experience, Are said: “How does the mere mention of a figure become the collection of that money? There is so much ignorance around the workings of government. The request must go to the Federal Executive Council. If it gets there, the BPP will do a rigorous costing and approve a reasonable amount in writing, before the Minister can take it to Council. Even at the Council, it will be subjected to interrogations, questions and possible amendments before it is approved or rejected. So, the mere pronouncement of a figure does not automatically mean it has been approved or released.”
Further investigations on the cost of renovations, reveal that costs vary based on stadium capacity; cost of materials, age of stadium and type of materials used.
Checks revealed that for a 51-year-old Stadium, abandoned for 18 years and compared with others, the cost of renovation would be about what was mentioned by the Minister.
The average global estimates for stadium renovations and upgrade range between $400m dollars and $678m.
The Stadium in Surulere, which suffered abandonment for over 17 years, was at its lowest ebb, before Dare picked it up for an upgrade.
