Dapo Abiodun Refurbishes Kuto International Stadium, Renames It MKO Abiola Sports Complex

By: Olufemi Orunsola 

Following the refurshment of the MKO Abiola Stadium Kuto Abeokuta by the Ogun State government, Prince Dapo Abiodun has renamed the newly refurbished stadium as MKO Abiola Sportals Complex ahea of the 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF).

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the Sports Complex which previously had only a football pitch and an athletics track, now boasts a 50-metre Olympic-size swimming pool, basketball, tennis, and handball courts, a new digital scoreboard, a tartan track, as well as a hybrid football turf.

While explaining the rationale for the addition of new structures to the complex, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said that hosting the NSF has helped to revive many of the state’s sporting facilities, driving the sporting ecosystem and boosting the GDP of the Gateway State.

In his words, “Before the NSF, we planned to rename the MKO Abiola Stadium to MKO Abiola Sports Complex because the edifice now has what it takes to be considered a sporting complex.

The stadium now boasts of an Olympic-size swimming pool, a tartan track, a digital scoreboard and floodlights, tennis, basketball, and handball courts, with a VVIP seat that can accommodate 150 guests at a time. We have spent a lot to put our facilities in good shape, and we believe that beyond the NSF, we want to ensure that we build a sporting ecosystem that can improve our GDP in the state.”

Abiodun further explained that the development is one of the positive impacts of the National Sports Festival on the state, noting that the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) has chosen Ogun State to host the 2025 U-18 and U-20 African Championships in July, after initially awarding it to Algeria.

“This is what we envisioned when we decided to bid for the NSF, and now, the results have started coming on board. We look forward to such events soon so that Ogun State can become part of the global sporting ecosystem,” the governor said.

Concluding, he emphasized that "Ogun’s business circle will experience a bumper harvest during the event, with major hotels fully booked and petty traders making brisk businesses."