The Abuja stadium upgrade will cost N24.6bn in the 2026 budget as Nigeria boosts sports spending and infrastructure renewal

The upgrade of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, will cost N24,642,000,000 from the N203,602,968,852 allocated to the National Sports Commission in the 2026 appropriation bill.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the N58.18 trillion “Budget of Restoration” to a joint session of the National Assembly last year, with Nigeria’s sports allocation rising sharply by 300 per cent from the N78bn provided in 2025.

The significant increase reflects renewed efforts to revive national sports infrastructure and fund Nigeria’s participation in major international competitions.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, had earlier projected that work on the Abuja stadium upgrade would commence before the end of 2025.

The project forms part of a broader strategy to restore confidence in Nigeria’s sporting facilities.

Opened in 2003 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the stadium has struggled to meet international standards despite renovations carried out between 2020 and 2022.

The facility has since been declared unfit to host senior national team matches.

Under the administration of former Sports Minister Sunday Dare, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, donated $1m towards restoring the stadium’s main bowl.

Local contractors handled the renovation, which included the installation of Pure Dynasty Paspalum grass.

The facelift also featured digital scoreboards, sprinklers, nursery beds and a two-year maintenance plan under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

However, the pitch deteriorated within a year of its handover to the Federal Government.

The poor surface forced the Super Eagles to relocate home matches to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

Nigeria last played at the Abuja venue on March 24, 2023, losing 1–0 to Guinea-Bissau.

Former coach José Peseiro and several players openly criticised the playing surface after the match.

In the 2026 budget, the commission allocated N18,775,000,000 for the first phase of rehabilitating the stadium’s main bowl.

A further N5,800,000,000 was set aside to complete a high-performance centre for athletes.

An additional N65,000,000 will fund optic fibre and LAN connectivity at the stadium and other critical national sports facilities.

The commission also earmarked N15,500,000,000 for the construction of a sports secretariat within the stadium complex.

Built at a cost of $360m between 2000 and 2003 for the 8th African Games, the stadium seats 60,491 spectators and features a lightweight roof structure.

Beyond infrastructure, the National Sports Commission budget includes N4,222,800,000 for Nigeria’s participation in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will cost N5,105,337,650, while the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will require N1,000,000,000.

Football programmes also received major funding, with N14,200,000,000 allocated for Nigeria’s participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and other FIFA competitions.

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The Abuja stadium upgrade remains a defining test of whether increased funding will finally deliver durable and credible sports infrastructure.