Several sports facilities in Rivers State, including Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium and Yakubu Gowon Stadium, are set to undergo significant renovations as part of the Rivers State Ministry of Sports’ initiative to enhance sports development in the region.
Rivers State Sports Commissioner, Barr. Christopher Green, announced that the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Yakubu Gowon Stadium, and the Alfred Diette Spiff Sports Complex (Civic Centre) are among the key venues selected for this upgrade.
“The Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium will receive extensive renovations,” Barr. Green stated, noting that the venue is expected to host football matches sanctioned by both CAF and FIFA in the near future.
“The Yakubu Gowon Stadium will also undergo massive renovation. The Alfred Diette Spiff Civic Centre will also undergo massive renovation.
“The Basketball Stadium we have and other such facilities we have (in Rivers State) will also undergo massive renovation,” he said.
The Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, constructed in 2015 by the Rivers State Government, is set to undergo its first significant renovation.
Unlike many other stadiums in the country, it features a hockey pitch, a shooting range, and 25 emergency exits, among various other amenities that support its claim as Nigeria’s most well-equipped stadium.
The official inauguration took place on July 19, 2015, during a men’s football qualifier for the 2016 Olympics, where Nigeria faced Congo.
The Nigerian U23 team secured a 2-1 victory in that qualifier.
The stadium is versatile enough to accommodate nearly all major sports, boasting an aquatic center with two Olympic-sized swimming and diving pools.
Additionally, it includes two basketball courts, two tennis courts, two badminton courts, two handball courts, and two indoor sports halls, along with hostel and administrative facilities.
Named in honor of Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka, a former national footballer from Rivers State, the stadium has a seating capacity of 38,000, with all stands covered. Flanking the main arena are two training pitches, all featuring natural grass.
