Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, have conducted the ground-breaking ceremony of ‘The Arena’ in Lagos, a world-class sports and entertainment centre, in Lagos.
The construction of the edifice has been hailed as one of the biggest moves to further boost the economy of the state, provide employment for young people in the state, as well as establish the state as the commercial nerve centre of the country.
Planned in the fashion of O2 Arena and X Arena, The Arena will have a capacity of 12,000, which would be featuring sports and entertainment shows that were expected to facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) in the city-state, and the country at large.
Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the event, promised to give every support the project needed to be completed on time, just as he praised the creative industry for the sheer audacity to put the country on the world’s stage.
“Not just the Nigeria story, the creative industry story is a pride to us all. Here we have the talent and boldness to take Nigeria to the world. The creative industry deserves commendation from us all.”
The governor, who jokingly said that The Arena ought to be named The Lagos Arena, said his government would ensure that the traffic of the area is rewired in such a way that it would accommodate the surge in transportation expected to increase by the time the project is completed in December 2025.
President of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujuri, said: “The Arena would turn the country around, turn Africa around,” while urging both private and public investors to support the project, which according to him, has the capacity to put Nigeria on the global map.
Also, Tayo Amusan, the brain behind the epoch-making project, said: “The Arena is not just a venue, but also a symbol of Nigeria’s potential and creative spirit..”
“We spend so much money on security. So, the most amazing thing about this place for me is that all my customers will be safe. That’s really important.”
Dignitaries present at the ceremony were Oba AbdulwasiuOmogbolahan Lawal, Oniru of Iruland, and Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, HannatuMasawa, among others.
