The Federal Government plans to spend N24,642,000,000 on the rehabilitation of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, as part of the National Sports Commission’s N203,602,968,852 allocation in the 2026 budget.
The proposal is contained in the “Budget of Restoration” worth N58.18 trillion presented by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly last year. The 2026 sports allocation represents a 300 per cent increase compared to the N78bn approved in 2025, reflecting the government’s push to revitalise sporting facilities and programmes.
NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, had earlier indicated that rehabilitation work would begin before the end of 2025 as part of a broader plan to modernise Nigeria’s sports infrastructure.
The stadium, commissioned in 2003 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has struggled to meet international standards despite a recent renovation between 2020 and 2022. During that period, businessman Aliko Dangote contributed $1m to refurbish the main bowl under former Sports Minister Sunday Dare.
The facelift, carried out by local contractors, included the installation of Pure Dynasty Paspalum turf, two digital scoreboards, 24 sprinklers, nursery beds, and a two-year maintenance plan under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
However, the pitch deteriorated within months of completion, forcing the Super Eagles to relocate their home matches to Uyo. The national team last played at the venue on March 24, 2023, losing 1–0 to Guinea-Bissau, a match in which players and then-coach José Peseiro criticised the playing surface.
For 2026, the NSC has earmarked N18,775,000,000 for the first phase of rehabilitation of the main bowl, N5,800,000,000 for completing a high-performance centre for athletes, and N65,000,000 for internet connectivity through optic fibre and LAN/WAN across key sports facilities.
Additionally, N15,500,000,000 has been set aside for constructing a sports secretariat within the stadium complex.
Built at a cost of $360m between 2000 and 2003 for the 8th All-Africa Games, the stadium has a seating capacity of 60,491 and features a lightweight roof structure.
Beyond infrastructure, the NSC plans to spend N4,222,800,000 on Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will receive N5,105,337,650, while participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy is expected to cost N1bn.
In football, N14,200,000,000 has been budgeted for Nigeria’s involvement in the 2025 AFCON, the upcoming 2026 Women’s AFCON, and other FIFA competitions involving the men’s and women’s national teams.
