Professionals under the auspices of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) Surulere Cell have called on the Federal Government to act swiftly to prevent the complete collapse, and deterioration of the National Stadium, Lagos.

Speaking during an assessment visit to the facility at the weekend, the group appealed to President Bola Tinubu, and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who they described as a representative of the state at the federal level, to speedily intervene and renovate the facility to prevent structural defects from setting in.

The 45,000-capacity stadium was abandoned for over 19 years before some renovation works were put in place on the main bowl through a philanthropist, Sir Kessington Adebutu.

Despite the renovation of the Main bowl, more work still needs to be done on the facility, especially the spectators’ stands, the floodlights recently damaged by rain, walls, rails, and the generator house among others.

Speaking to The Guardian after the inspection, the Coordinator of BCPG Surulere Cell, Mr Francis Redemi, an engineer described the state of the stadium as pathetic and heartbreaking, saying that it used to be a centre of national pride, which hosted the 1980 Nations Cup.

Alluding to a functional swimming pool within the complex, which was recently concessioned and revamped, Redemi said the Federal Government should adopt the same measure for the main bowl if it lacked the resources to maintain it.

“The swimming pool, about eight years ago, was habited by frogs, but it has now been renovated, put to good use, and is generating money. People train in the swimming pool section and pay about N50, 000 per person to do so. This should be the government’s attitude towards the national stadium.

“The whole facility is like an abandoned area, no floodlight, the field is bad and the spectators’ seats are bad. It is a pain and we wish that those who are responsible for the decay of the facility can rise, search their conscience, and know that there is a need to leave a good legacy for the future generation,” he said.

Redemi explained that the tour was aimed at improving the facility in line with the mission of BCPG, which is about removing quackery, averting building collapse, substandard work, and projects from society.