Contractors handling the renovation of the swimming pool at the National Stadium, Lagos on Thursday praised the commitment of the Federal Government toward ensuring that the pool was revived.
The pool, which was built in 1972 to host the 2nd All Africa Games, had been out of use, since 1999 and was subsequently approved for rehabilitation by the then Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, in 2013.
The project was abandoned until January when the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalong, during an inspection of the stadium, ordered the completion of the project before the end of the first quarter of the year.
Idris Jamiu, Senior Engineer, Jonac Engineering Company, said: “Government’s commitment and our will as a credible engineering company is responsible for this achievement.
“We were given a target to deliver the job before the end of the first quarter of the year; as you can see we achieved it.
“At the moment the lavatories are ready, the engines for pumping of water, installed to aid the supply and drainage in the diving and swimming sections are in perfect conditions.
“We have yet to mount the storage tanks at the left side of the facility but that will be done in a few days time,” he said
According to the engineer, the pool is ready for use and will be inaugurated in due course.
He said that the success of the project was made possible within a short duration because of government’s commitment at ensuring that the pool was upgraded to international standards.
Jamiu lauded the media for beaming their searchlight on the renovation of the pool, adding that doing this for other structures in the National Stadium would ensure revitalisation of sporting activities.
“If we have so much of checks on other sporting facilities like we had from the press during the entire process of renovation, it will give a boost to renovation of other facilities across the country,” he said.
