Nigeria's stadiums are cosmetically green but functionally broken, says Egbe
The Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle Sports, Ebi Ezekiel Egbe, has warned that Nigeria’s major football stadiums are failing to meet the performance standards required for elite competition. Egbe, a
The Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle Sports, Ebi Ezekiel Egbe, has warned that Nigeria's major football stadiums are failing to meet the performance standards required for elite competition.
Egbe, a GMA-certified hybrid pitch technician, said Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Lekan Salami Stadium, and Stephen Keshi Stadium all looked ready after construction or renovation but have since struggled under match conditions.
"Every pitch may look green from the stands, but not every green surface meets the standard required for elite football," he said.
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He said none of the three venues can currently host top-level CAF competitions reliably, describing the situation as a consequence of mistaking construction for performance.
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"Football is not played on appearance," Egbe said.
He blamed the problem on poor drainage, inconsistent grass coverage, and rapid wear, saying these issues have undermined all three facilities over time and prevented them from supporting the speed and intensity of modern football. He also drew attention to the gap between how administrators and actual pitch users assess quality.
"Administrators are not end users," Egbe said. "It is only the end users — the players, coaches, and match officials — who can truly judge whether a pitch is good or not."
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On the question of timing, the Monimichelle CEO said commissioning day is the wrong moment to evaluate a pitch.
"A pitch is not judged on commissioning day; it is judged months and years later under match pressure," he said. "If it cannot maintain quality consistently, then the green was only cosmetic."
Egbe called on stakeholders to shift focus from visual impressiveness to functional endurance, saying Nigeria risks continuing to build stadiums that impress on the surface but fail where it matters.
"Until we shift focus from how a pitch looks to how it performs and endures, we will keep building stadiums that impress visually but fail functionally," he said.
