Lack of facilities maintenance, bane of Nigeria sports development
By Ishola Owolabi
The issues concerning the poor states of major sports facilities across the country are due mainly to the politicians and their shenanigans that has continued to badly affect the provisions of basic social amenities.
And you cannot separate the Politicians from the Civil Servant’s, who have continued to exercise powers to make or mar whatever attempts to provide sports facilities, according to their whims and caprices.
This writer would not attempt to challenge the almighty powers of the Civil Servants , who often than not do not really care whether or not facilities are provided for the people to engage in social activities or not.
They actually control and dictate whatever happens in that regard to
the willing politicians; Save for the few individual investors in sports facilities, the government-owned facilities have continued to suffer from misuse and lack of maintenance.
In recent days, there has been palpable concerns over the state of the pitch of the magnificent Lagos state government owned Mobolaji Johnson Arena, (Onikan Stadium). The pitch, yet resplendent has been experiencing wear and tear. Don’t ask me how or why.
Let’s recall that the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, built in1972, was once the pride of Nigeria and Africa. The multipurpose edifice, was credited for hosting several memerable and world class sporting events. Let’s not talk about its present state.
Characteristically, like a love lost story, whence the husband, who would be quick to discard his old love for the new one, as a nation, we are quick to abandon existing structures, for newly constructed ones. That became the fate of the old National Stadium in Lagos, when the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, was built.
Same was the fate of the once popular Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, when Adamasingba Stadium was constructed. And Lagos State, is not any different. At a time, Agege Stadium with a synthetic pitch was the Mecca of football in the state, until Teslim Balogun Stadium came alive. And for the records, Teslim Balogun Stadium has continued to receive endless and varying cosmetic surgeries.
Many football stakeholders and aficionados have always clamoured for lush and greenish natural grass playing surfaces, to host football games. And it has always been a problem. Considering our often hot weather conditions, maintaining a lush and greenish field, have always been a problem for our untrained groundsmen, who are actually horticulturists.
The evolution of synthetic pitches was a face-saver and of course, a penny saver, for the football administrators and the civil servants.
For whichever type of football pitch, the main crux is its maintainance. There are various types of synthetic pitches in the country and they come with their varying demands on maintenance and sustainability.
There are the rubber-filled synthetic pitches for instance,; the Legacy pitch, Surulere and the Campos Mini-Stadium in Lagos Island. Many true football groundsmen and pitch experts have described these types of synthetic pitches as unsafe and injurious to footballers.
The most accepted type of synthetic by CAF and FIFA, is the hybrid synthetic pitches. Some of the unique qualities and advantages of hybrid synthetic pitches in modern football include better performance under heavy use, hybrid pitches can withstand frequent use without the playing experience deteriorating quickly, making them ideal for professional clubs and stadiums.
Hybrid pitches combine the benefits of natural grass and synthetic fibers, providing a 100% natural grass feeling and a green appearance all year. Hybrid pitches also provide a consistently stable surface, reducing the risk of injury to players.
However, even the best of such pitches needs regular maintenance to sustain its usefulness and longevity. You may be curious to ask why the recent tears noticed on the hybrid synthetic turf of the Mobolaji Johnson Arena?
I want to quickly recall for emphasis that the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne and Enyimba International Stadium, Abuja, are also hybrid synthetic pitches, and built by the same firm, Monimitchelle Sports Facilities Company.
The caveat here is that both Enyimba International Stadium and particularly, Remo Stars Stadium, enjoys regular maintainance to keep it in top conditions, at all times. Unfortunately, since the Mobalaji Johnson Arena was built and commissioned, it has not been provided with professional maintenance, despite the heavy traffic of football and other activities on the turf.
This writer spoke with some concerned fans and stakeholders on how the Arena can be saved from imminent destruction due to the heavy traffic on the pitch, a Sports activist and National Coordinator of Friends of Nigeria Sports, Chief Diprieye Thompson, advised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to lay more emphasis on the needs to have a maintenance culture for the sustainability of sports facilities in the state.
Our dear Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu should make it a priority for all concerned to ensure regular maintenance of its facilities. For example, the company that constructed the Mobolaji Johnson Arena pitch could be consulted and contracted to help maintain the turf.
“This method would surely help to save the government from spending huge amounts of money to construct newer facilities, whenever the existing seems to be going old. If Hon. Kunle Soname, the President of Remo Stars football club, can engage the same company that built his stadium on maintenance, I want to implore the government of Lagos to do the same and save itself from wasting funds,” Thompson said.
Sports facilities maintenance is crucial to ensure the safety, functionality, and overall quality of the facilities. It involves regular upkeep and repairs of various components, such as, playing surfaces, goalposts, nets, scoreboards.
Other necessities include the lighting and electrical systems, plumbing and water systems, flooring and surfaces (hardwood, turf, etc.), as well as the lockers and dressing rooms, restrooms and showers.
