Workmen beginning rehabilitation work on the National Stadium pitch

Comprehensive rehabilitation of the playing pitch of the National Stadium in Abuja has begun. Work on the stadium began last week, with the contractors who built the facility, Julius Berger PLC, returning to site to give it a facelift.

Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had assured Nigerians last December that the rehabilitation of the stadium would begin this January.

The scope of work to be done at the main-bowl includes: removal and replacement of the topsoil and the planting of the approved specie of grass. Also, the maintenance of the pitch including watering and trimming of the grass for the next three months.

According to the terms of the contract, work on the stadium is expected to be completed late February while the maintenance would continue for additional three months.

The stadium is expected to be ready for use late May or early June.

According to the Director of Facilities at the NSC, Ibrahim Shehu, everything have been put in place to ensure top-grade maintenance of the stadium after this rehabilitation work.

“The problem we had in the past was as a result of theft of the power-cable, which supplied power to the stadium. With the lack of electricity, we could not power the water pumps and so could not wet the grass. Now, all those problems have been sorted out, and we will make sure that the stadium is of international standards at all times,” pledged the director, who is a trained engineer.

He also disclosed that the NSC had perfected plans to put the stadium to active use all through the year.