The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun has announced the official renaming of the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta to MKO Abiola Sporting Complex, ahead of the 2025 National Sports Festival.
Justifying the change, Abiodun said the facility had undergone a substantial transformation from a basic stadium into a full-fledged sports complex, following extensive upgrades across multiple disciplines.
“It is no longer just a pitch and a track,” the governor said at a meeting with the Guild of Sports Editors in Abeokuta.
“It now has a brand new world-class pitch, a new international-standard track, modern scoreboards, digital floodlights, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a warm-up pool, tennis courts, basketball and handball courts. All these developments rightly make it a sporting complex.”
“We are going to do the official renaming of that stadium from MKO Abiola Stadium to MKO Abiola Sporting Complex, and I think that is justifiable.
”The renaming will be formally unveiled at an inauguration ceremony as part of the build-up to the 22nd edition of the multi-sport event, which will take place from 16th to 30th of May across several venues in the state.
Governor Abiodun also acknowledged the significant financial outlay involved in hosting the games and credited both public and private sector partners for their support.
“We have received massive backing from our industrial base,” he noted.“There are major sponsors, silver sponsors and others. The support is ongoing. This is not a burden the government is carrying alone.”
He went on to express gratitude to the Federal Government and President Bola Tinubu for their support, which he described as unprecedented in the history of state-hosted sports festivals.
While underlining the inclusive spirit of the games, the governor was clear about Ogun State’s ambition to dominate the medals table.
According to him, “Our joy is in hosting for all the right reasons,” .“But of course, we are aiming to win more gold medals than any other state.”
