Director-General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Oluwatoyin Gafar yesterday said is almost ready and the delay in the hand-over of Onikan Stadium, currently going through remodelling, was to allow the contractor deliver a befitting project, reports the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The Onikan Stadium, formerly named King George, was built in 1930 on the Lagos Island close to the Tafawa Balewa Square. It was also renovated in the 1930s.
The stadium is famous for being home ground for top Nigerian clubs such as Stationery Stores FC, First Bank and Julius Berger FC, all Lagos-based and has a sitting capacity of 5,000.
The stadium is one of the arenas slated for FIFA U-20 Women World Cup for which hosting right Nigeria has bidded.
Gafar said the stadium was important to the state, adding that it would become a place of pride for Africa upon completion.
“I will not give a definite date for the completion of the Onikan Stadium, we are working on it and I know that the contractor handling the project is doing a good job.
“The stadium is about 70 to 80 per cent ready and it will be completed very soon; it is not our own to determine the completion date, ours is just to monitor the work.
“What we are expecting is a delivery of a befitting stadium that is going to be of international standard that all of us in Africa will be proud of,’’ he said.
