The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports commenced the demolition of illegal structures within the National Stadium complex in Lagos yesterday following the expiration of the quit notice given to the occupants.
Not less than 120 structures mostly food kiosks and sports wears shops that were not in the initial Master Plan of the complex are being demolished.
The clear out exercise is to end tomorrow (Friday) which will form first phase of the process by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, to restore sanity to the sports sector in the country.
Before this development, Federal Government, through the Ministerial Implementation Committee of the Sports Ministry had given all the affected owners of the illegal structures 14 days ultimatum to dismantle their shops at the stadium. That notice expired on September 1, 2020 before the bulldozers rolled in to start work.
It was also learnt that some shop owners had reportedly been putting pressure on the ministry’s Top officials to stop the Implementation committee from doing the needful but it yielded no dividend.
“The Sports Minister had secured the permission of President Muhammadu Buhari before taking this holistic decision which many before the current minister failed to do,” a top official from Abuja informed THISDAY last night.
Since 2004, the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, has been abandoned with virtually all aspects of the complex, including the main-bowl seats, tartan tracks, the playing turf and the media center in terrible state of decay.