The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has pledged that his administration will remodel the Ahmadu Bello Stadium into a FIFA-standard sports facility capable of hosting international competitions.

Governor Sani, who gave this assurance on Tuesday, said the remodelling is necessary as the stadium was built in 1965 and is not equipped enough for the sports demands of the 21st century.

Speaking when the National Institute for Sports, led by its Director General, Comrade Phillip Shuaibu, paid him a courtesy visit at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the Governor said the stadium will be transformed into a 32,000-seat capacity stadium when the remodelling is completed, which will double its current capacity.

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He pledged that the upgraded Ahmadu Bello Stadium will be the second most spacious in the country, just after the national stadium in Abuja.

Speaking further, he described the DG of NIS  as versatile, adding that before Shuaibu came on board, the Institute was moribund, but he has started turning it around.

Speaking earlier, Shuaibu said that the mandate of NIS is to develop manpower for the sports ecosystem, including the training of coaches and paramedics.

According to  Shuaibu, he took steps to reposition the Institute when he assumed office, by constituting a 32-member star-studded team that came up with a 10-year work plan, conducted trainings and created six zonal offices for proper coordination.

Comrade Shuaibu thanked Governor Sani for promising to provide a fully furnished office for the take-off of the North West zonal office.