3rd May, 2012
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, has given reasons the Super Eagles will not play any of their Nations and World Cup qualifying matches at the Abuja National Stadium for now.
Maigari disclosed that the facilities and even the pitch are in deplorable state, hence they had to dump it in search of better venues.
The administrator, who led other members of the NFF on an inspection of the facilities at the stadium decried the state of the multi-million naira edifice, adding that it would be close to five months before a match could be played at the stadium.
“We have gone round the Abuja stadium to inspect it and it is sad to say that it will take at least five months before the stadium will be put properly in shape to host any football game,” Maigari said.
Meanwhile, the NFF is seeking advice from the Federal Government on the venues of the team’s upcoming matches.
Preparations had been concluded for the team to play Namibia on 3 June at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, but a series of bomb attacks raised uncertainty about the suitability of Kaduna to host such high profile games.
NFF officials quickly visited the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, (Ibadan), Dan Anyiam Stadium (Owerri) and the UJ Esuene Stadium (Calabar) on inspection visits as speculation were rife that the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, could still be a possible venue for the games.
The NFF has now declared that no decision has been made in that regard with deliberations planned ‘to decide on the way forward.’
—Francis Achi/Abuja