Sunday Dare

Fifty-seven executive suites at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja are available for use to serve as centre, testing and stores for medical equipments and drugstore to curb the spread of cobid-19 .
Speaking in Abuja, Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr. Sunday Dare assured that the Federal government was committed to render all forms of assistance to curb the spread of the virus .

The Minister said after the inspection of the facilities at the stadium that it had become necessary to get them ready for use when the need arises.

“We have 57 executive suites here; you can see how well equipped they are, self-contained, with toilets , fridge ,airconditionals. Since these facilities belong to this country , we need to make them available if the need arises.
Like I said, the medical authorities will make that decision on a need basis but this is a typical one. You have seen the toilets and the bath , the size can fit in a proper bed for isolation and we have 57 of such facilities.

“Earlier we looked at the Velodrome and the multi-purpose sports hall and when you look at what we have here, we have something similar at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna, National Stadiums in Lagos and Ibadan. Every stadium is a big complex that can be useful for the pandemic we are facing.”

The minister reiterated that the suites would be available for any Nigerian as determined by the health authorities.
“Beginning this weekend, we will start fumigating and cleaning them for any Nigerian who needs them as determined by the health authorities.”

He also added that the open fields of the stadiums might be needed for distribution of medical supplies and as testing centres to allow for social distancing.

Citing examples of the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, Hard Rock Cinema Florida USA, seven football clubs in Brazil who have turned over their stadiums to the health authorities, as well as in Spain and Italy, the minister said it had become imperative for Nigeria to look at countries with high numbers of the infected cases and do same in order to stop the pandemic in its tracks.

The Minister maintained that sports has been the hardest hit by the coronavirus, but government has also been actively involved in stopping the pandemic.