*Want this quality facility replicated across Nigeria
The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Austin Eguavoen and former Super Eagles utility player, Garba Lawal, have lauded the new-look pitch of the Mobolaji Johnson Arena (the old Onikan Stadium), which is the venue of the ongoing Aisha Buhari Invitational Women Football Tournament in Lagos.
The duo, who spoke on the sideline of the Aisha Buhari Cup at the weekend, want the turf constructed by Monimichelle Group, Nigeria’s leading sports facilities construction outfit, replicated across Nigeria.
“I remember playing in this stadium in the 1980s, but you can’t compare then and now because the turf is now completely refurbished, well planned with a good synthetic pitch of FIFA standard. We thank the government of Lagos State for this effort and we want more of this in different locations so that we can develop our football,” Eguavoen said.
The former Super Eagles handler also commended the organisers of the Aisha Buhari Cup, saying it is a good test for the Super Falcons.
“I congratulate the person who came up with this idea. The organisation is very smooth, but it is quite unfortunate that all the teams will not play with each other. They are confined to play only two matches each according to FIFA rules and regulations. But it is a good test for our girls and it affords Lagosians the opportunity to see other countries play. It will be nice for our football if we can see more of this. It is a wonderful innovation,” concludes the ex international fondly called Cerezo.
Another ex-international, Garba Lawal, on his part, described the remodeled Mobolaji Johnson Arena turf as fantastic and commended the contractor for the good job.
“The pitch is fantastic, superb. The contractor did an excellent job and it is a good atmosphere for players to showcase their skills. I want to see more of this across Nigeria to fast-track our football development,” Lawal stated.
