Investigation reveals how vested interests stalled Ambode’s effort to transform National Stadium

Almost one year after the Federal Government made its decision to allow Lagos State government to take over the abandoned National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, efforts by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to actualise the transformation of the complex have been stalled owing to what dependable sources described as “influence of vested interests”.

Investigation by Nigerian Tribune revealed that taking possession of the complex has become a Herculean task, despite President Buhari’s desire to hand it over to Lagos State government.

“Immediately after the visit by the Minister of Youth and Sport, Mr Solomon Dalung, where the pronouncement of ceding the complex was made, the antagonists of the decision went to work.

“The first indication came from the House of Representatives, where these powerful interests lobbied through a member to call for a motion to determine the context at which the action was arrived at.

“A motion to stop the complex from being handed over to  the state government was mooted immediately the minister left Lagos. The orchestrated plan was to use the National Assembly that waded into the matter under the pretense of carrying out their oversight function, ostensibly to scuttle the agreement”, said the source, who also confided in Nigerian Tribune that if not for the proactive move by Lagos, the handing over of old State House, Marina that was officially done last week would have suffered  the same fate.

Among these faceless, but powerful interests, according to sources,  include hoteliers, business concerns, government officials, among others, whose cronies are collecting rents from them.

“Unfortunately, those working against the takeover by Lagos State do not have a better plan to transform the stadium, but only targeting parcels of land within and around the National Stadium complex.

“They do not have any plan to really redevelop the facility which has been completely abandoned and become dilapidated. But we have it on a reliable authority that these people who have the backing of some powerful National Assembly members, especially, from the eastern part of the country, and who have been making illegal business transactions in the complex would not let the process scale through,” said the source.