The National Sports Commission (NSC) has maintained that the newly rehabilitated Main Bowl Pitch of the Abuja National Stadium is of FIFA's standard.
The Director in charge of Facilities and Stadium Management, Engr. Ibrahim Shehu made this assertion Thursday, 26th September, 2013 while taking a cross-section of the Media round on inspection tour of the Main Bowl Pitch in the stadium.
Some Media houses had reported that the House Committee on Sports had expressed dissatisfaction with the renovated work of re-grassing the pitch.
Engr. Shehu said that the grass is natural and not synthetic and as such, it was only natural for the grass to absorb its moisture contents.
On the issue of the drainage system raised in the report, Engr. Shehu said that the drainage was not visible like the ones along our major roads but rather there were built underground and are functioning effectively.
On his part, a consultant for Julius Berger (Nig) Limited, the company which rehabilitated the pitch, Mr. Tony Agboni, maintained that the pitch was very up to FIFA's standard and that it is capable of hosting any international match under any weather condition.
Agboni stated that the NSC should be commended for its efforts towards rehabilitating the pitch, adding, that the NSC's management has shown exceptional commitment to the maintenance of the Stadium.
On the issue of the 2013 Capital Allocation to the Commission, contrary to the report by one of the national newspaper that the National Sports Commission has received 90% of its capital allocation for 2013, the Director, Human Resources Management and Finance of the NSC disclosed that out of the sum of N1, 946, 000 total allocation for the Commission, the sum of N780, 821, 282 representing only 40.12% and not 90% erroneously reported in the newspaper has been released to the NSC to date.
Source: Rehabilitated main bowl pitch of Abuja National Stadium meets FIFA standard. (http://fmi.gov.ng/latest/30701/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rehabilitated-main-bowl-pitch-of-abuja-national-stadium-meets-fifa-standard)
Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria