Al-Shabab of Saudi Arabia striker, Odion Jude Ighalo has disclosed that he is happy to see Nigeria’s flagship sports arena, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja getting a new touch of renovation.
The ongoing work at the arena in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is coming after the edifice was lft unkempt for several years, and Ighalo admitted it is wonderful seeing it ‘come back to life.’
He added on the fringes of his official unveiling as Nigeria’s latst Principals’ Cup Ambassador by the sports minister, Sunday Akinlabi Dare, who Ighalo praised for putting innovations in place.
Ighalo, who played for Manchester United of England before joining Al-Shabab at the start of this year, Ighalo commended Dare over the state of renovation going on at the stadium in Abuja and thanked the minister for deeming him worthy of becoming an ambassador for secondary schools football in the country.
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer, who has also previously played for Prime FC of Oshogbo, Julius Berger F of Lagos, Lyn Oslo of Norway, Udinese of Italy, Granada of Spain, Watford of England as well as Changchun Yatai and Shanghai Shenhua of China, added that Dare should be praised for everything he is doing for Nigerian sports in general.
Ighalo, who recounted that the stadium was an eyesore the last time he saw it on the television, concluded: “I want to commend honorable minister for this great job he is doing,
“I will tell you the last time I played here was 17 years ago and I remember that pitch was great and after then seeing the pitch on the TV is embarrassing but what I’m seeing now, I’m really happy because it’s coming back.
“This is the main bowl, this is where Nigeria is supposed to be playing our National Team games, and so, we’re happy it’s coming back to life so we can’t wait to see how it’s going to look like after the finishing.”
