By Maroof Asudemade

There is something almost poetic about spending about N5.5 billion to refurbish a stadium, only for CAF to say, in effect, “Thank you, but this one is not approved.”

The Lekan Salami Stadium was supposed to be one of the proudest legacies of the Seyi Makinde administration. The stadium is a refurbished sporting facility which should be worthy of hosting Shooting Stars on their long-awaited return to continental football. Instead, the stadium has failed to secure the required CAF approval for the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup.

So, what exactly did Oyo State spend N5.5 billion to renovate? Was it a stadium renovation project or an expensive beautification exercise designed mainly for commissioning photographs?

One thing we must commend Makinde administration for is the priority of funding and management given to Shooting Stars and which has translated into winning a slot in the continental championship. Why would Makinde allow miniscule fart to soil his anus?   Having Shooting Stars play on Lekan Salami Stadium after 27 years in the wilderness of continental championship would have been more cheering and made the return to continental championship more worthwhile.

This is where the Makinde administration owes the people of Oyo State some serious explanations. If billions of naira were committed to transforming the facility into a modern international-standard stadium, why is it still unable to meet the standards of the continent’s football governing body? Shooting Stars teeming fans would have so much love to cheer their darling team to victories on the pitch of Lekan Salami Stadium.

The irony is difficult to miss. Shooting Stars are returning to Africa after about 27 years, but the stadium renovated to welcome them to Africa cannot itself pass the African test. What a remarkable achievement! And perhaps the most interesting part is that this is not merely about football. It is about public expenditure, accountability and value for money. When government spends billions on infrastructure, citizens have every right to ask whether the finished product matches the money allegedly invested in it.

If CAF approval is now the missing ingredient, the people deserve to know what went wrong. Were the CAF requirements properly considered before the contract was executed? Was the project adequately supervised? Were all the necessary facilities delivered? Who certified the project as completed? And how much has actually been spent from the original contract sum?

The government should answer these questions rather than expecting Oyo residents to admire a multibillion-naira stadium that cannot host the very continental matches for which it was supposedly refurbished.

There is also a lesson here for the Makinde administration: commissioning a project is not the same thing as delivering a functional project. A ribbon-cutting ceremony can create headlines, but CAF inspectors do not approve projects based on speeches, banners and photographs.

For now, Shooting Stars must look elsewhere for a venue. Perhaps the only consolation is that the stadium has at least achieved one continental feat: it has attracted continental scrutiny before hosting a continental match.

For a project that cost Oyo taxpayers roughly N5.5 billion, that is hardly the kind of record anyone should be celebrating. The Lekan Salami Stadium should be upgraded immediately to meet CAF and international standards. More importantly, the government should open the books and explain how N5.5 billion produced a facility that still cannot secure CAF approval.

Oyo people deserve a stadium that works and not a N5.5 billion monument to questionable priorities.