Ajegunle welcomes new Maracana Stadium, a dream shaper

In the heart of Ajegunle, Lagos, lies a sprawling sports edifice, as modern and equipped as any existing anywhere in the world. With over 3,000 children playing different categories of football on the 19 pitches, one can be forgiven if he thinks that he is in one of the top European club training facilities.

But the difference is that the new-look Maracana Stadium, just behind the Apapa Quays, has two sprawling 96-bed each hostels named after two of Europe’s well-known stars, Wilfred Ndidi of England’s Leicester City and Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund.

According to the financiers, Ndidi and Adeyemi donated some money for the construction of the hostels.

Powered by the Nathaniel Idowu Foundation, the new Maracana Stadium embodies the dream of every Nigerian talented young kid, most of whose schools don’t have playing grounds.

On Saturday, October 22, 2023, some of these starry-eyed kids, Nigeria’ future stars, were at the complex to watch their dream unfold and elicit more fantasy of a future made brighter by a singular act of philanthropy.

Among dignitaries at the venue when Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, came to inspect the facility were traditional rules, top sports administrators, journalists and sports enthusiasts from within and outside Ajegunle.

Although Ajegunle is regarded by outsiders as a tough community, where only the brave survive, the new Maracana Stadium has the potential to erase such misconception and present the community for what it is, a talent incubator.

Extolling the community for giving him the opportunity to contribute to Nigeria’s football development, Nathaniel Idowu Foundation’s Chairman, Chief Yemi Idowu, said the construction of the facility was made possible by the