Tuesday Special: The unfortunate abandonment of National Stadium, Surulere

Posted : 13 June 2023

The 55,000-capacity National Stadium Surulere was built in 1972, and opened by the administration of Yakubu Gowon with pomp and pageantry.

The first task of the stadium arena opened on December 4, 1972 was a ceremonial match in which Nigeria beat Mali 3-0.

The conception of National Stadium Surulere began in 1951 when the large expanse of land where the stadium would be situated was acquired.

The stadium is strategically situated at the centre of the metropolitan Lagos mainland and Island to be a reference point of discourse of how facilities and national monuments should be accessible to all in Nigeria.

Sports is a standard measurement, as it stands as a product which almost cannot be faltered.

The level of success linked with sports can actually measure the amount of resources committed into it because of its wide appeal to the youths and aged as well.

Sporting iconic facilities such as the National Stadium Surulere are necessary for the development of sports.

Such centres are more visible in the advanced countries where sports is truly appreciated in its full value.

In the U.K., for instance, the iconic Wembley Stadium is a signature of football, in France it is Stade de France, in Brazil, it is Maracana Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, in Turkiye, it is Ataturk Olympics Stadium, in Israel, it is Great Ram Stadium, in Germany, it is Olymipan Stadium, and so on.

So, the need to have a replica of the iconic sports city was conceived and immediately birthed when the Nigeria National Stadium Board of Management was inaugurated under the management with C. E. Newham as chairman.

The stadium construction was proposed in two stages.

The Phase one was a pre-fabricated timber terrace supported by scaffolding built in 1960 for the independence celebrations and the West African Games.

The main arena of the stadium was later demolished in 1962, paving way for a new design orchestrated by Messrs Mence, Moore Mort Architects.

The then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on March 14, 1970 laid the foundation for a new stadium, however, the stadium completion date was delayed owing to reconstruction of the spectators' stand, while some of the materials designed for use in the works were not available during the construction period.

There were many adjustments to the original design of the stadium, while modifications were made, the total work was ended early in January 1973 just in time for the 2nd All Africa Games, which acted as a catalyst for speeding up the beginning and completion of the project.

The result in the change of original plan eventually gave way to a saucer-shaped main bowl.

The stadium upon its opening was served by 12 ramps leading to the main bowl and the stands that were designed to have 72 exit points.

The stadium at its completion also had 50,000 sitting spectators.

At the opening of the national monument, it was dubbed "the Mecca of Sports" in Africa.

The National Stadium Surulere instantly gained prominence as one of the best in Africa.

Just about a year after it's inauguration, National Stadium Surulere hosted the 2nd All Africa Games in 1973, a sports festival that attracted several African countries to Nigeria to have a feel of the wonders of architectural design of the stadium; Nigeria was able to host and win the sports festival, first time ever.

Since then, the National Stadium has hosted many international and local sports events.

Notably among the unforgettable moments of glories of the National Stadium included the first ever African Cup of Nation (AFCON) won by Nigeria which was played inside the iconic National Stadium.

Then the stadium recorded a peak attendance of 85,000 spectators cheering the then Green Eagles in the final match of the African Cup of Nations in 1980 between Nigeria and Algeria.

Asides being a football spectacle, National Stadium Surulere also had a first-class sporting infrastructure such as a double 50-meter Olympic-sized swimming pool which also housed a diver.

The National Stadium Surulere also has a 2,000-sitting capacity twin Indoor Sports Hall, a Sqaush Court, a 4 standard Tennis Court with a centre Court, Gymnastics Hall, Boxing Hall Basketball pitch, Hockey pitch among many others.

It should be noted that the National Stadium sits on a large expanse of land mostly underutilised, which can also be converted for other uses.

The history of sports in Nigeria will be incomplete if mention is not made concerning many glorious moments Nigeria has had inside the National Stadium.

In the same National Stadium, a football legend, Samuel Okwaraji paid the supreme price in the 77th minute while on national duty in a World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and Angola, August 12, 1989.

Late Okwaraji was said to have died of congestive heart failure.

In 1999, the sitting capacity of the National Stadium was reduced as part of preparations to host the World Youth Championship in 1995, and the stadium’s concrete slabs were replaced with seats for individuals, thus reducing the stadium’s capacity from 50,000 to 39,858.

However, in the twilight of its abandonment, the National Stadium once again hosted the African Cup of Nations in 2000 which Nigeria co-hosted with Ghana.

On the unforgivable date at the finals, Nigeria controversially lost out to Cameroon on penalty right in front of the boisterous Lagos die-hard fans.

This loss still remains a bad memory till date as Nigerians are yet to come to terms with the circumstances that led to Super Eagles losing the match.

After the year 2000 debacle, for reasons unknown, the National Stadium became unpopular, perhaps, due to the availability of other stadia which serves as options such as the inauguration of another National Stadium in Abuja commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo, construction of Nest of Champions in Akwa Ibom and other stadia such as Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin which on rotational basis hosts Super Eagles matches because of contingency and conspiracy theories.

Now, the National Stadium has been left to dilapidate since the early 2000s and has became an eye sore where destitutes continually litters the surroundings with unsanitary, foul-smelling substance and an edifice reduced to social and religious meetings, as well as street kids, squatters, hawkers, and a variety of other people.

The situation at the Lagos National Stadium is so pathetic such that the whole arena is now covered with weeds while the spectators' seats have become relics.

The electronic scoreboard is almost crashing, save the latest move to bring it back through a private initiative by a Betting company.

The once glamorous arena no longer holds sports meets, but has turned into a social hangout place and is occasionally used for religious gatherings and a haven for street urchins.

The last match played at the stadium was in April 30, 2004 when a second tier Nigerian team lost 0-1 to Senegal in a trade-mission LG sponsored competition.

Although the last two Nigerian Ministers of Sports, Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare made some attempts to salvage the stadium, their attempts did not yield good results as the stadium still remains unserviceable.

When Dalung took over, he initiated an outright sale of the stadium to the highest bidder in which Lagos State government made an aborted bid.

After Dalung exit came Sunday Dare who later introduced a programme called "Adopt a Pitch".

Subsequently, some private investors signified interest in bringing the stadium back to life, however, due to the extent of the rot, a single investor may not be able to solely shoulder the task, the vast work on the stadium still subsisted.

The Adopt-a-Pitch programme for the National Stadium can only take care of its main pitch, scoreboard and the tartan tracks, leaving out the terraces, spectators' stand and other dilapidated areas begging for attention.

To bring life back to the National Stadium, it will need total overhauling, hence, the latest tragic incident in the stadium when the light mast was destroyed by thunderstorm owing to years of neglect.

Towards the end of the past administration, the Sport Minister said that the stadium would require a whooping $45 million to renovate after it fell into ruins.

Following a recent report on the stadium’s abandonment, Dare briefed his followers on Twitter on the renovations taking place in the arena and described the condition of the building when he first began his work there.

He wrote: "The National Stadium Surulere, Lagos: Just the Facts. Not Fallacies.

"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. We immediately set down to work at the ministry.

"First, the task force removed all illegal occupants and locked out miscreants. Next we sought funding from private partners as budget allocation was insufficient.

"Old, damaged and clogged up water drainage system gutted out and new ones installed. Second phase of the tartan tracks installed; awaiting the final phase, followed by lanes marking. One digital score board as originally fitted into the stadium has been fully installed."

Dare also shared images of the stadium’s condition and the ministry’s development on his social media pages.

The National Stadium, according to the Sports Minister, needs $45 million, which is a staggering amount that may scare any investor.

To this end, the way forward towards revamping the stadium looks bleak, obviously, government may not be willing to cough out such money on sports infrastructure when other critical sectors of the economy are also begging for attention.

The puzzle of rehabilitating the National Stadium still remains, while the country may have to wait, if either a foreign or local investor will be willing to rescue the national monument.

Tuesday Special: The unfortunate abandonment of National Stadium, Surulere

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