, Nyesom Wike, has flagged off the construction of a new multi-event sports centre in Kafe District of the territory.){kind=link}
Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has flagged off the construction of a new multi-event sports centre in Kafe District of the territory.
During the foundation laying, Wike emphasised the evolving role of sports beyond physical fitness, highlighting its significant economic potential.
The Minister said the project was a key initiative aimed at empowering the youth, creating employment opportunities, and diversifying the economy of the FCT.
“So many of us used to think that sports is about keeping fit, but that has passed,” Wike said.
“Today, sports is one of the sectors that has kept many countries going.
“Brazil, for instance, exports so many players to the world and they make a lot of money from it. They cannot do that if you have no facilities that will encourage and bring about the talents of our youths,” he stated
The Minister noted that the project aligns with one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-Point Agenda goals of youth empowerment.
He said that the new centre is designed to be a comprehensive hub for various athletic disciplines, including football, basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis, squash, and table tennis, all built to international standards.
“If you look at the concept, it is very holistic. That’s why we call it multi- events sports centre. It has everything you can think about any kind of sports. So, we encourage our youth to take advantage of this,”he further said.
The Minister said; “You want to be a basket-baller, you want to be in volleyball, football, Lawn tennis, squash, Table tennis, whatever you think, we’re going to make it available here and to International Standard. This is not the only one we are going to construct.”
Wike also confirmed plans for future facilities in other Area Councils to ensure widespread access to sporting infrastructure for Abuja’s youth. The Minister urged the contractor to complete the project ahead of the scheduled 12-month timeline.
He stressed the importance of timely and quality delivery, warning that failure to meet standards would result in the termination of future contracts with the FCT Administration.
The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, said the FCT Minister’s initiative to build the facility aligns with President Tinubu’s vision for sports in the country.
Dikko noted that Nigeria’s focus on international competitions over the years has led to the neglect of its domestic sports ecosystem, particularly grassroots development.
He commended the FCT Minister for investing in the project, while also pledging the commission’s full support for the project.
The DG, while also noting that many African nations were heavily investing in sports infrastructure, added that the National Sports Commission plans to develop 40 similar centers across Nigeria, with one of them to be located in Abuja.
“What you are doing here is clearly what we want to happen everywhere in the country because sports is also about security. If you engage the youth, you provide them a platform to engage their energy and they can live their dreams and be the best that they could be,” Dikko said.
The DG equally disclosed that the commission had submitted a bid for Abuja to host the Commonwealth Games. He expressed belief that the new sports centre will be a major asset in defending the bid.
The Executive Secretary, FCDA, Richard Yunana Dauda, while providing an overview of the project, said it sits on a 5.7-hectare plot and will include a standard football pitch, nine mini-pitches, four lawn tennis courts, basketball courts, a squash building, an indoor sports court, and various supporting facilities.
He said the proposed centre is a multifunctional sports facility that caters for the wide range of supporting interest and will be of immense value to the physical and mental wellbeing of most, especially the youth, keeping them creatively occupied.
Dauda added that the project, during its construction phase, will create employment opportunities both directly and indirectly and when completed, will provide facilities for maintaining the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the teaming population of the residents of the city.
The Managing Director of Tegwa Tegwa Nigeria Limited, who is also the contractor to the project, Peter Tagwe, thanked the Minister for the opportunity and expressed his company’s full commitment to delivering a state-of-the-art facility that meets international standards.