Boma Achenimie 
The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has announced that the cricket event at the upcoming National Sports Festival, to be hosted in Ogun State, will be played on one of the Federation’s newly upgraded facilities—signaling continued investment in the sport’s infrastructure across the country.
President of the NCF, Mr. Uyi Akpata, made this known in a statement on Monday, highlighting the Federation’s commitment to facility development as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s cricket advancement strategy.
“We have been on a quest to ensure that the growth of cricket goes beyond just talent discovery,” Akpata said. “Facility upgrade is a critical piece of the puzzle. It is central to accelerating the game’s development in a sustainable manner.”
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Akpata confirmed that the turf wicket at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta has been successfully upgraded and will host matches during the festival. He assured that players can expect high standards of play, thanks to the quality of the new surface.
The upgraded Oval at MKO Abiola Stadium is one of four new cricket facilities the Federation has been developing simultaneously across the country.
“We are also working on a pitch at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we’ve just completed a facility in Uyo at the Community Secondary Commercial School, and another is currently under construction at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna,” Akpata revealed.
He added that Nigeria’s capacity to host back-to-back ICC World Cup Qualifiers—in Abuja and Lagos since November 2024—was due to the improved standard of local cricket infrastructure. “We now have multiple venues that meet international standards, including two in Edo State,” he said.
Beyond infrastructure, Akpata emphasized that the Federation’s progress is rooted in five strategic imperatives: promoting the game at all levels, facility development, pursuing strategic partnerships, enhancing the quality of players and officials, and ensuring strong governance and financial structures.
“These priorities have guided our work over the last four years and have yielded measurable results,” he noted. “Our goal is to deepen their impact and make them easily adoptable at grassroots and local levels.”
Akpata concluded by noting that the newly upgraded MKO Abiola Oval will not only host the Sports Festival, but also support ongoing talent development initiatives in Ogun State—reinforcing its status as a key facility for cricket’s future in Nigeria.
