New Telegraph

Ministerial Task Force: Why we demolished illegal structures at National Stadium – Nesiama

…says exercise continues today

 

  • Business activities to be restricted

 

  • Five-star hotel to be built at complex

 

The Co-Chairman of the Ministerial Committee to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on the rebuilding of the National Stadium, Surulere, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (rtd), has revealed reasons why the committee decided to demolish some of the illegal structures at the complex.

 

Speaking with New Telegraph on the telephone, the former Technical Director of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria said some of the structures were not part of the original plans of the complex and for normalcy to return to the stadium, they have to get rid of most if not all the structures.

 

According to him, one of the structures was the outdoor bar of O’jez as well as the Old Skool bar situated inside the General Kenneth Minimah Executive Hostel situated inside the stadium. “The Ojez lounge remains part of the stadium facilities although all the outdoor ones are all gone, likewise all mushroom shops within the stadium,” he said.

 

“The only one remaining is the lounge besides the restaurant, which initially was the VIP Lounge for the stadium and we cannot destroy a good thing especially when it is part of the complex. All the joints in the stadium, all the ones surrounding it have all been demolished.

 

“For the General Kenneth Minimah Executive Hostel located inside the stadium, we are not touching it because it was built for the usage of the athletes, even I was a beneficiary of the hostel when I was the Technical Director of the AFN,

 

“However, the joint by it, Old Skool, that one is gone because it doesn’t support the well-being of athletes staying at the hostel, we can’t allow such activities to continue in front of the athletes because it caused a lot of distractions, they cannot concentrate and achieve something meaningful.”

 

Meanwhile, the retired Naval officer said the exercise continue today (Monday) as the committee have been given eight weeks to conclude their works. Nesiama added that the committee is working so hard to meet up with their schedule while handing over the stadium to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development as soon as possible. Speaking further, the World Athletics Licensed technical man also revealed that there are plans for the economic activities for the stadium use.

 

He added: “There is a plan for the economic activities for the stadium use, it has already been planned, we are going to have a shopping complex, a shopping mall. “We want to end the situation whereby businesses are scattered around the complex, that will be restricted to a certain area and that area already identified with the ministry working on that.”

 

The co-chairman also revealed that the ministry already working on having a five star hotel also within the stadium complex.

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