In furtherance of his commitment to sports development in the country, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, has finalised arrangements to upgrade the sporting facilities at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) stadium.

The intervention is underway as Barau FC, founded by the Deputy President of the Senate, gained promotion from the Nigeria National League (NNL) to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

Although the plan to upgrade the facility aims to meet Premier League standards, the stadium requires assessment and certification by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) before it can be used for the NPFL campaign.

A delegation from the Deputy President of the Senate, including his Chief of Staff, Professor Muhammad Ibn Abdallah; Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Ismail Mudashir; and Special Adviser on Youths and Sports Development, Comrade Kabiru theo Lakwaya, met with the management of BUK, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, on Tuesday.

The Chief of Staff, who led the delegation, conveyed the good news at a meeting held with the institution’s management, according to a statement signed by Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity.

He said, “His Excellency has asked us to formally inform you of his plans to upgrade your football stadium so that national league and other football activities can be held there.

“As we all know, he has done many projects to address this institution’s infrastructural gaps. Now, he said BUK has to have an international football facility to benefit the university, its community and our teaming youths.”

Responding, the Vice Chancellor thanked the Deputy President of the Senate for his decision to upgrade the stadium facilities.

“We are happy to receive this good news. Coincidentally, this is also part of the blueprint that I submitted to the University Governing Council when I was applying for the position of Vice Chancellor of this great university.

“Therefore, we thank him immensely for this gesture. I would like to, on behalf of Bayero University management, convey to the Distinguished Senator that this initiative has been well received by the Bayero University community. We are ready and willing to host your team and give all the support required to make this project a huge success,” he said.

Barau FC adopted the option of BUK stadium after the controversial N50 million levy demanded by the management of Sani Abacha Stadium, the same facility available to Kano Pillars Football Club for free of charge.