Association, Residents Kick Against Takeover Of Gbagada Sports Centre

Football stakeholders in Gbagada and its environs in Lagos have urged Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode  to stop  Nigeria Bottling Company from taking over  Gbagada Sports Centre at the detriment of the users.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, the President of Gbagada Grassroots Sports Association,GGSA Tajudeen Adebayo expressed dissatisfaction that the Nigeria Bottling Company, NBC, had already contracted the sports centre to one construction company to commence work despite the fact that both parties are still in talks to finalise how the playground will be renovated without affecting the users.

“Recently, club owners, coaches and other sports stakeholders in Gbagada held a meeting with Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the representatives of Nigeria Bottling Company. At the meeting, we agreed that if Nigeria Bottling Company wanted to renovate the centre as part of their social corporate responsibility, they should not reduce the size of the playground and they should not take over the place. But what we have been hearing now is that the NBC  wants to take over the place and turn it to event centre which will not for the general good of people of the area.

“We are using this medium to call our able Governor to intervene and look into this matter before it goes beyond control. The initial promised was that before anything will happen on the field, sports stakeholders in Gbagada and officials of Lagos State officials and the NBC will have final discussion, unfortunately both ministry and NBC have breached the agreement. This is the time our Governor should come in because the youth and other associations had kicked against the plan, ” he said.

In his own comment, GGSA Secretary, Biyi Oduntan  said the youths of Gbagada want the field to be renovated but what is being done now is what the youths are kicking against.

Football stars such as Obafemi Martins, Segun Fetuga and others were discovered in the past on the football arena.

Meanwhile, Araromi Community Development Association and Araromi Community Central Mosque have appealed to Lagos State Government to come to their aids before the Coca-Cola takes over Gbagada Sports Centre completely.

Effort to speak with Officials of  Coca- Cola, Lagos Ministry of Youth and Social Development proved abortive as at the time of writing this report.

Gbagada Sports Centre is one of the oldest playgrounds in Lagos and many sporting competitions such as football, Athletics and Boxing events had been organised on the football arena. Aside these sporting events, it is an open ground where political campaign rallies usually take place, while churches also used it for their crusades.