By Rabi Musa Umar
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has flagged off the construction of a new multi-event sports centre in Kafe District of the territory.
Speaking during the foundation laying ceremony on Monday, September 1, 2025, the FCT Minister emphasized the evolving role of sports beyond physical fitness, highlighting its significant economic potential.
He said the project was a key initiative aimed at empowering the youth, creating employment opportunities, and diversifying the economy of the FCT.
The Minister said, “So many of us used to think that sports is about keeping fit, but that has passed. 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”.
The Minister noted that the project aligns with one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-Point Agenda goals of youth empowerment, adding 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. You want to be a basketballer, 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”, he said.
“This is not the only one we are going to construct”, Barr. Wike added, confirming plans for future facilities in other Area Councils to ensure widespread access to sporting infrastructure for Abuja’s youth.
Barr. Wike urged the contractor to complete the project ahead of the scheduled 12-month timeline and to coincide with President Tinubu’s third anniversary in office. 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.
“I beg you, because one of the problems I have seen with our local contractors, the moment the funds come, then, they remember that they have not done their marriage rites, they realise that they have not paid school fees. Do the job, the remaining one, you can use it to do any other things. The job first”, the Minister stated.
The Minister who had earlier called for a minute silence in honour of the late Head of FCTA Civil Service, Mrs. Grace Adayilo, used the occasion to express his condolences at her passing.
He described the death of Mrs Adayilo as very painful, noting that she was very committed to the success of the FCT Administration.
“It’s unfortunate; God gives and God takes. There is nothing we can do. That’s why when you have the opportunity, you do the best you can because you don’t know the day your creator will call you”, the Minister said, sorrowfully.
Earlier In his remarks, 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 and 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,” Dikko said. “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”.
The DG equally disclosed that the commission has submitted a bid for Abuja to host the Commonwealth Games, and expressed the belief that the new sports center will be a major asset in defending the bid, even as he praised the FCT Minister for swiftly approving the mandate letter for the event.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, praised President Tinubu’s commitment to youth empowerment and infrastructure development. She also applauded Barr. Wike’s visionary leadership, stating that the project is “not just creating a structure, but creating possibilities”.
The Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. 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 center 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.
Engr. 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, Engr. 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.
