Nigerian Journalist pens open letter to Sports Minister on ‘CAF and the Godswill Akpabio Stadium’
Following news that the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, remains the only Nigerian Stadium approved by CAF to host International matches, a Nigerian Journalist, Bassey Ibiatisuho has penned an open letter to the Sports Minsiter on the state of Sporting facilities in the country.
Full Text of letter is presented below.
CAF AND THE GODSWILL AKPABIO INTERNATIONAL STADIUM
The 7th of November this year will make it ten years since the 30,000-capacity Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, popularly called The Nest of Champion, was commissioned in a lavish and colourful opening ceremony that had four Presidents in attendance.
Criticized politically, but applauded by many, the visioner and then-Governor of Akwa Ibom State, now President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, like the man who saw tomorrow, knew that a country like Nigeria deserved such a structure. It was only a matter of time before the entire country realized how important that project was for the nation.
Honourable Minister, Nigeria’s development is significantly hindered by a very poor maintenance culture affecting its infrastructure and public facilities. Roads are riddled with potholes, public utilities experience frequent outages, and public buildings such as schools, hospitals, and stadia are in disrepair.
This national way of life of building infrastructure with billions of Naira and watching them rot away was incontestably a great concern over this iconic stadium. How will this stadium be maintained?
At this point, we must thank former Governors of the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who initiated and completed the project, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, who committed a lot to the maintenance of the stadium, and the present Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for pledging to maintain the standard of the stadium. Maintenance of such a structure is not cheap, but the consequences of neglect are severe.
Over the years, the Akwa Ibom State Government has prioritized improving its maintenance culture. This involves implementing stringent policies, ensuring consistent and adequate funding, and investing in technical training to build local expertise.
Honourable Minister, today, the huge investment of the state government in maintaining the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium has saved Nigeria the embarrassment of not having any standard stadium to host international matches, as that stadium is the only one approved in the country for FIFA and CAF-organized matches.
Last season, Akwa United, the state-owned team, had to vacate the stadium for a larger part of the season to accommodate the Super Eagles qualifiers, Rivers United CAF matches, and Enyimba’s AFL match. Their exile to the Eket Township Stadium contributed to their struggle for survival in the campaign.
This year, CAF has again approved only the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo for club competitions, a very poor comparison to eleven approved for South Africa and six for Morocco. This has left Rangers of Enugu, Remo Stars, Enyimba, and Elkanemi Warriors at a critical juncture as they have until Monday, July 22, to choose a neutral venue for their home matches, and with no other option, your guess is right.
While these games will entertain the football-loving fans of Uyo, this scenario raises serious questions about the readiness of Nigerian football infrastructure and the implications for teams vying for continental glory. The predicament not only complicates the teams’ logistical arrangements but also introduces uncertainty that could impact their performance in the tournament.
Honourable Minister, it is good that Akwa Ibom has saved the country the embarrassment of not having a good stadium, but it is still embarrassing that a country like Nigeria has only one approved stadium for four of her representatives in CAF competitions.
What happened with the $1 million donated by business mogul, Aliko Dangote, for the renovation of the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja? Why should such an amount of money be expended, yet the pitch is still deplorable? Abuja should be one of the very few national capitals in the world without a standard stadium. What about the National Stadium in Lagos? Is it irreparable? What effort is put into reviving that edifice?
The National Stadium in Lagos was opened in 1961, while the one in Abuja was opened in 2003, and just so you know, the decay is not due to time. Wembley Stadium in London was built in 1923, Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was built in 1950, San Siro in Italy was opened in 1926, Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria was opened in 1923, and many iconic long-lasting stadiums across the world are still in active use. The difference between their stadiums and our stadiums is the maintenance culture.
Today, Nigeria cannot bid to host a regional tournament, not to mention CAF and FIFA, absolutely impossible because of a lack of good stadia nationwide.
Honourable Minister of Sports Development, there is a dire need to develop sports infrastructure in the country, just like the name of the ministry states. Let the federal government move into reviving the dilapidated National Stadiums in Abuja and Lagos, which hosted Africa in the past and were celebrated as iconic structures. Let the Ministry go into useful partnerships aimed at building more sporting centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country and develop a maintenance culture to preserve them. The federal ministry of sports development can partner with states in upgrading some of the stadia to global standards.
If a sub-national like Akwa Ibom can maintain its stadium, then the federal government has no excuse not to revamp the Abuja and Lagos National Stadiums and even build new ones. Until then, let the maintenance culture and the intentionality of the Akwa Ibom State Government in preserving public infrastructure serve as a template to the Federal Ministry of Sports in building and maintaining standard FIFA and CAF-approved stadia in Nigeria.
