National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko says the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja is being rebuilt with the ambition of producing one of the best football pitches in Africa, with the wider redevelopment targeted for completion in time for Nigeria’s matches next year.
Dikko said the project has moved beyond plans and procurement, with contracts already awarded and specialist contractors engaged to deliver a major transformation of the national stadium.
“Our target is to put in the best pitch that we can put in Africa in Abuja,” Dikko said.
The NSC chairman said the quality of the playing surface is being treated as a major technical project rather than a routine renovation, with samples of the stadium’s sand and water being sent to Europe for testing before the final grass system is installed.
“We have already procured all the contracts, we have already awarded all the projects,” he said. “We have brought the best company in the world that we can know, the same people that did the pitch in San Siro, Juventus pitch, Real Madrid, everywhere.”
The identity of the contractor was not disclosed in Dikko’s latest remarks, but the involvement of European stadium specialists is consistent with the NSC’s earlier plans for the Abuja project.
A technical team with experience working on major European venues, including Juventus Stadium, Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu and San Siro, assessed the Abuja stadium in 2025.
Dikko explained that the testing process is one reason the pitch work has taken time.
“They have to come and take the sand, the water to Europe for test, for sample, to make sure that the grass that’s being put there will be the best,” he said.
The pitch, however, is only one part of a much larger overhaul of the 60,491-capacity stadium, which opened in 2003 and was built to host the 8th All-Africa Games.
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The NSC’s redevelopment programme also covers the athletics track, dressing rooms and media centre, while two new training pitches are being developed within the complex.
Dikko said the plan is also to convert the existing hostel into a four star hotel, giving national teams accommodation within the stadium environment and reducing the need to move between training, accommodation and match venues.
“We want to make Abuja one of the best stadiums that we can have in Africa,” he said.
The wider redevelopment comes after the poor condition of the Abuja pitch had restricted the stadium’s use for Nigeria’s national teams and major international matches.
The federal government approved a comprehensive rehabilitation programme in May, covering the pitch, tartan track, dressing rooms, media centre, VIP and corporate areas, public address and security systems, as well as other critical facilities.
Dikko said the stadium will also receive new electronic boards, a PA system and new lighting as part of the project.
The target, he said, is to have the facilities ready by around March next year, coinciding with Nigeria’s next set of international fixtures.
“Hopefully between now and March next year, when we have the next matches, probably those things will be ready,” Dikko said.
The NSC is also looking beyond Abuja as part of a wider attempt to increase the number of Nigerian stadiums capable of hosting international football.
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Dikko said the commission is working with the Plateau State Government to bring Plateau Stadium back into use, while Kaduna is also being developed with the state government.
Ibadan is another venue earmarked for work, alongside the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.
The ambition is to have a broader pool of suitable venues rather than leave Nigeria dependent on a small number of stadiums that currently meet international requirements.
“By towards the middle of next year, end of next year, we should have like five, six, seven, maybe eight stadiums that can host any match at any time that we can,” Dikko said.
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