Abuja Stadium Pitch Ready for Inauguration Next Month

Olawale Ajimotokanin Abuja

Topflight football can now be played on the turf of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja after the contractor re-grassing the pitch assured stakeholders that it will be ready for inauguration next month.

The Executive Director of Aron, Adeniyi Adesoji gave the assurance yesterday when he along with the Director of Facilities, Stadium Development, Baba Kobi, guided journalists on a tour of the ongoing project.

The reconstruction of the pitch and other facilities at the stadium was being undertaken by business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Adesoji said that the project, which was initiated in August last year and projected to be handed over in March this year was undermined by several hitches.

He said the underground drainage had collapsed for several years before Aron took over the project in addition to other additional issues which took about three months to fix.

“The grass as you can see is in advanced state, which we hope that by next month, we are going to hand over to the Minister (of Youth and Sports). But right now, we are under what you call the maintenance stage. Maintenance in the sense that some of you feel the undulation of the pitch, which is what we call top dressing and it is what we are going to correct as we go along,” Adesoji said.

A special breed of grass known as pure dynasty paspalum grass which is cloned in Qatar and being put into use for the first time in Africa is planted on the National Stadium pitch.

“If you look at the National Stadium here also, part of it is that the grass does not do well as the cover is always under shade. Now, you need a grass that can go through such conditions and still give you the lush green. And that is where we are today and by the time we get to the maintenance period, we hope we will get everything done,” he said.

Apart from the grass, he said the renovation of the Stadium Scoreboard is 100 per cent done. According to him, the scoreboard is capable of recording play back and broadcasting to the outside world.