Abuja National Stadium ready for use, says sports minister

The official handover of the rehabilitated main
bowl pitch of the National Stadium Abuja to the
National Sports Commission by Julius Berger PLC,
will take place on Tuesday, September 17. As part of activities marking the handover, the
Golden Eaglets will take on local side Amakson
Soccer Academy, in a friendly match. Secondary
schools in Abuja will also participate in athletics
competitions. Side attractions will include performances by
Wizkid, Ice Prince Zamani and White Nigerian.
Leading comedians in Abuja will also perform on
Tuesday starting from 3pm.The contract to
rehabilitate the pitch of the National Stadium
Abuja was awarded to Julius Berger in January, after a disruption of power supply to the stadium
affected the regular wetting of the pitch which
made it to be overgrown by weed. The scope of work completed by Julius Berger
includes removal and replacement of the topsoil;
planting the approved specie of grass, well
watered and nourished until roots are
established; and maintenance of the pitch,
including watering and trimming of the grass. It also provided new water sprinklers for the
stadium. Last week, the Sports Minister and Chairman of
the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji
Abdullahi gave assurances that the Commission
has a plan for the regular maintenance of the
pitch and also stating that there will be regular
activities at the stadium after the handover.