Agege residents have lamented the indefinite closure of Agege Stadium three and half years after renovation work stopped at the stadium, Sports247 reports .
The stadium which was upgraded from a community recreation centre to stadium by Lagos State Government under the leadership of Babatunde Raji Fashola is in a shadow of it’s glowing past when it was launched for the 2012 National Sports Festival.
AGEGE STADIUM AS AT TODAY DECEMBER 02 2024
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The Agege Stadium was about the most active in the state and it was the beehive of sporting activities ranging from school sports to community sports and served as home for many league and non league matches with MFM Football Club played their domestic and continental matches at the stadium.
Due to the busy-ness of the stadium, there are high numbers of people in and out of Agege, suburb of Lagos as local business are thriving due to high volume of people thronging the stadium for top football actions and other sports.
Since the stadium was marked for renovation, the vibrant hub of sports fans and community people is now a shadow of its old self three and half years after it was shut down for the so-called renovation.
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The perpetual renovation going at the stadium is taking its toll on local business around the stadium and environment as the once sports Mecca where sports enthusiasts pay pilgrimage from far and wide is now a deserted land as sporting activities no longer happen at the stadium.
According to reports, the Lagos State Sports Commission won’t open the place for sporting activities until all renovations are completed.
A visit to the stadium shows much progress has not been made and the re-opening may take much longer unless the Government decides to intervene as a matter of urgency as the site has been abandoned by the contractor over three months ago.
Eyewitnesses report that some unidentifiable persons had a clash with the contractor in charge of the renovation works in an attempt to take control of the project and since then renovation has stopped completely at the stadium..
“After that incident, we haven’t seen him again and it is now over 5 months,” a resident stated.
The community owners and residents are groaning and lamenting that the indefinite closure is having a huge adverse effect on their economics and asking Government to up the renovation and reopening of the stadium in a record time as further delay is not favourable.
A community leader painted the effect of the stadium thus :
“This is not just about sports; it’s about our community’s identity and economic well-being, “We need decisive action, not just words, ” reacting to Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu administration statement on prioritising the stadium’s renovation which has remained a promise on paper and never in action and is casting doubts and minds of citizens which
undermines the credibility of the government and sports authorities.
” The closure has affected sales and we are just managing with the little sales will could unlike how the business booms during Matchdays,” says an Alcoholic beverage seller.
The general view expressed by the concerned members society is quick government intervention to resolve the contractor’s disputes, return the contractor to site and hasten the long-overdue completion of the project.
