Sports Minister’s Sanitization Exercise And The Agony Of Tenants At National Stadium, Surulere Lagos
For sport enthusiasts who love to catch up with trending sport activities or simply spice up a dull life at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, this is obviously not the best of times.
The stadium which used to be a beehive of activities and one stop centre for the lagosians who speak and understand the language of sports has now become a shadow of itself punctuated with maladministration and mismanagement.
But beyond the issue of mismanagement of the national facility, there is a suffocating aura of frustration, agony and loss currently being experienced by businessmen and women who derive their daily income at the centre.
All accusing fingers are pointed to one man who made a single decision that altered the course of things, threw tenants in disarray and turned the entire arena to a ghost town.
Today, when you mention the name of Sunday Dare, the honorable minister of Youths and Sports Development, the situation of things at the National Stadium is the first thing that comes to mind. It is a name that pops up questions with incoherent answers.
But one question that has become a nightmare for the minister is his reason for the sanitization of the stadium. “Honorable Minister Sir, Why Did You Sanitize the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos?” This is the question that has been begging for answer(s) from Mr. Sunday Dare.
Since he began his sanitization excercise, the situation of things either at the facility or for those who regularly patronize it has never been the same. He had reportedly dug an agonizing pit for people in the complex to sink in.
A few months into his tenure and just before the lock down, Mr. Sunday Dare was said to have compelled the management of the Stadium to call a meeting with the tenants wherein they were informed of government’s decision to shut down the stadium because of the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. That was the beginning of the problem.
As expected, the tenants put up a stiff resistance to save their source of livelihoods. But this did not make any difference. It was an effort in futility. The minister seems ready for the worse. The crisis was later overshadowed by the inevitable lockdown. Everyone had to yield to the new order and embrace the uncertained future awaiting them.
After the lockdown, the management reportedly called for a fresh meeting with all the tenants. They were advised to pay up as the reopening of the stadium is in the offing. Money or no money, the decision appeared to have come with an element of succor. At least, there is a hope of retuning to business despite the harsh financial condition it was bringing along. The tenants thought.
Those who could not raise the money immediately had to take a loan or resort to other means of raising it so as to savage their only means of income.
And just as the process was gradually fizzling out, affected sources who do not want their names in print for fear of the unknown said, another meeting was called and the tenants were informed that all the non-administrative blocks and other buildings not belonging to sports federation will now be pulled down. The decision according to report was taken in order to pave the way for a modern-structural remodeling.
To worsen their cases, the tenants were given seven days ultimatum to evacuate their belongings from the facility. This was the major bombshell that literally shattered their hopes into pieces. In the usual way, the helpless tenants recourse to protest and negotiations. It yielded no result except for the extension of the inevitable evil day for another seven days.
While the Stadium was still under lockdown, and people were scheming out ways of bringing the situation under control, bulldozers were brought in under heavy security support to knock down all the affected structures one after the other: Bars, Sports shops, Relaxation spots, Viewing Centres, Business Centres, food vendors, make-shift Gyms etc, were brought down to a mere rubble.
It was a perfectly executed operation. Very little could be salvaged. Tears, anguish and depression reigned supereme. Some were said to have reluctantly moved on while other SME operators are yet to recover from the trauma of the loss.
Suddenly, the National Stadium is back to what it used to be before some courageous entrepreneurs decided to set up shops within its confines – a ghost town with skeletal activities now enveloped by a heavy veil of confusion and uncertainty all because Mr. Sunday Dare, an award winning journalist and administrator, got it all wrong.
Don’t get it wrong, there is nothing wrong in remodelling and bringing such a monumental facility to a world class standard. But there is a due process to always follow in a sensitive matter of this magnitude considering the fact that people’s means of survival are directly involved.
In a country where people do not only struggle to etch out a livelihood for themselves but also provide certain amenities that ought to have been the responsibilities of government, throwing them into an abject situation by the same government that should have looked into their welfares is a sheer disservice to humanity.
Why didn’t the minister give the tenants an option of buying into the proposed structure as off takers in the first place and those with little or no financial strength be given an option of installmental payment? This would have saved the name and image of the honorable Minister.
As at today, the only activities taking place at the stadium is the refurbishing of the main bowl which was concessioned to Sir Kensington Adebukunola Adebutu. Aside this, there is no visible sign of an ultramodern shopping centre springing up anytime soon.
For an administration that is already rounding off its eight years tenure in office, it will be quite tragic if Mr Dare Sunday failed to address the situation and correct the uncomplimentary impression about his tenure as minister of Youths and Sports.
This is not the time for the minister to maintain a dead silence over the future of National Stadium Surulere, Lagos. He really needs to speak up.
