The Managing Director of Monimichelle Construction Company, Ebi Egbe, has alleged that many Nigerian sports administrators have abandoned their primary duties to become contractors, leading to poor and inadequate sports facilities across the country. Speaking on the state of Nigerian sports infrastructure, Egbe lamented that these administrators often corner projects and build substandard facilities, which in turn hinders the development of sports in the country.
Lack of FIFA-Approved Pitches
Egbe specifically pointed to the lack of FIFA-approved football pitches in Nigeria as a glaring example of this problem. He stated, "If we can separate administrative duties from professional groundsmanship, we will drastically reduce the poor construction and bad maintenance culture of football pitches in Nigeria. It is the most damaging structural issue in Nigerian football development." He explained that when contracts for stadiums, training pitches, floodlights, turf systems, and sports complexes are awarded to politically connected proxy companies rather than technically competent firms, the result is usually poor-quality infrastructure, abandoned projects, inflated costs, and facilities that fail to meet international standards.
Unethical Practices in Contract Awards
Egbe further alleged that reputable sports construction companies with proven experience in FIFA standard turf installation, drainage systems, athletics tracks, seating engineering, and facility management are often pushed aside through manipulated bidding processes, unrealistic contract pricing, administrative favouritism, and coordinated blackmail or propaganda campaigns. He noted that the consequences are visible across Nigerian football, including poor playing surfaces that cause injuries, stadiums failing CAF/FIFA inspections, lack of maintenance culture, waste of public funds, and clubs being forced to play home matches away from their states.
Call for Separation of Duties
Egbe emphasised that in the sports construction industry, especially pitch construction, once contractors prioritise profit over quality or clients assume football pitch construction is cheap, the country will continue to get it wrong. He stressed that a standard football pitch is a technical infrastructure project, not just ordinary landscaping. He affirmed that Nigeria has the capacity to build international standard facilities from scratch to finish, but many administrators corner these jobs and award them to unqualified persons, to the detriment of the country.
Advocacy for Tax Holidays
Egbe also canvassed for tax holidays for sports facilities firms to help companies contribute to the growth of the sports sector. He urged parliamentarians to consider passing laws on tax exemptions for sports construction companies importing specialised materials and equipment needed to rebuild decayed sports facilities. "Import duties and government levies on sports construction materials are currently too high, and these costs eventually reflect in the bill of quantity presented to clients," he said. "If the government creates a more supportive policy environment, contractors will be better positioned to deliver durable, FIFA-standard sports facilities across Nigeria."
