February 05, (THEWILL) – Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, visited the newly rebuilt Moshood Abiola National Stadium field on Thursday, which he adopted under the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare’s Adopt-a-Pitch initiative.
As he was led around the pitch with the sprinklers running well and the two digital scoreboards flashing live, Dangote, whose firm, Dangote Industries Group, sponsored the pitch’s restoration, expressed satisfaction with the job done.
Dangote guaranteed the Sports Minister of his continuing support in his speech: “You can be rest assured of our continued support. You can always knock on our doors.
“We shouldn’t allow our stadia to collapse. Nigerians have a very strong love for sports, so I think we need to complement Government’s efforts to ensure that everything works.”
The Minister thanked the billionaire for agreeing to adopt the Moshood Abiola Stadium, saying Dangote was the first to sign up for the Ministry’s Adopt-a-Pitch programme.
Dare showed the government’s gratitude and used the opportunity to break related news when he said: “I want to thank you for investing in the development of our sports and the fruit of that partnership has blossomed into what we see here today.
“I would like to inform you that we have just received CAF certification of this stadium for international matches, which means that the World Cup qualifiers next month will be played here. This wouldn’t have been possible without your support.”
As part of a contract struck with Dangote Industries under the Adopt-a-Pitch Public-Private Partnership project, the refurbished Moshood Abiola Stadium now has nursery beds, two digital scoreboards, 24 sprinklers, and two-year maintenance.
The Daura Stadium in Katsina is also finished, while the National Stadium in Lagos is expected to be finished in May.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
