The Jos International Stadium has been incomplete for nearly four decades, but it took the All Progressives Congress just 48 hours to give it a fresh coat of paint ahead of a presidential campaign rally. The sudden facelift has exposed the stark difference between how the government treats public infrastructure and how it treats political events.
Construction on the stadium began in 1988 under the military administration of General Lawrence Onoja. A contract was awarded with a mobilisation fee of N10 million, but the project was abandoned after Onoja left office. Subsequent administrations tried to revive it. Former Governor Joshua Dariye made efforts, but the stadium remained unfinished. When former Governor Jonah Jang assumed office in 2007, his administration promised to break the jinx and redesigned the facility to accommodate about 44,000 spectators, with a target completion date of 2013. The project was expanded to include basketball, hockey and volleyball courts to bring it closer to international standards. But when Jang left office in 2015, the stadium was still incomplete.
A 2017 investigation estimated that the project had reached about 70 per cent completion under the Jang administration, while the contract sum rose substantially after changes to its scope. The investigation also found that equipment imported for the project had deteriorated over the years because construction work was prolonged. Successive administrations promised to complete the stadium, but nearly four decades after the project was awarded, it has yet to fulfil its intended purpose.
Today, the main stadium still lacks completed spectator seating. Bushes and overgrown vegetation continue to characterise parts of its surroundings. The facility was conceived to provide a modern sporting venue for Plateau State, create opportunities for young athletes, host major competitions and attract sporting events that could boost economic activity. Instead, it has become another example of abandoned public infrastructure, with successive governments unable to turn their promises into a finished project.
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But when the APC needed a venue for its presidential campaign rally, the government suddenly found the resources and the urgency to act. The stadium was repainted within 48 hours. The speed of the intervention contrasts sharply with the decades of delays that have characterised the stadium’s construction. While the repainting has improved the facility’s appearance, it does little to address the fundamental problems that have prevented it from serving Plateau State’s sporting needs.
The concern is not merely about the absence of spectator seats or the overgrown surroundings. It is about the public resources committed to a project that has remained unfinished through several changes of government. The recent repainting has further highlighted the contrast between the urgency governments and political actors can demonstrate when preparing for major political events and the prolonged delays in delivering infrastructure meant to serve the public.
After nearly four decades, the Jos International Stadium remains unfinished. For the residents of Plateau State, a fresh coat of paint cannot substitute for a completed stadium. The government can paint a building in two days when it wants to. It has had 38 years to finish the job, and it has chosen not to. The APC should explain why the stadium was only worth fixing when it needed a backdrop for a campaign rally.
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