The general manager of the Independence Stadium and Friendship Hostel (ISFH) has pledged his commitment to restore the Hostel to its former glory.

Ebou Faye, a seasoned administrator made this pledge during an interview with the Daily Observer Friday at his Office at the Stadium. He said the restoration of the Hostel to its former standard would in generating income. He disclosed that they have targeted the next three years to achieve their dreams and have pleaded for a government bailout to address the situation.

The Friendship Hostel used to be an attractive site for various sporting and social gatherings but the present condition of the facility has made it almost impossible for it to be used for such activities. Faye said that the structure of the Stadium is still in excellent condition but it will take a lot to make sure that the fixtures and fittings complement.

“During the 1980’s teams come to the Hostel to camp because it also helped them in accessibility to the Stadium which was generating a lot of income for the government and our national team also used to camp there but the fixtures and fittings are very poor these days. The pool is not working neither is the restaurant, the laundry, bar and the rooms, everything is old,” he said.

Though Ebou Faye decided not to reveal the strategic plan they will use to rehabilitate the Hostel for now, he nonetheless promised that everything will be in a perfect condition in the next three years including the conference halls which he recalled were rented for various ceremonies in the past until its current state deterred people from using it.

“I can tell you 100% that this is possible and in the next three years we will get the Hotel fully functional in a very perfect condition because the structures are in perfect condition and the problem is just the plumbing and electrical. The next thing you need is to paint the Hotel and give it a facelift and then change the rooms and improve the furniture.With that, you can feel at home there and it will save everybody cost and generate income,” he added.

Faye also said that the Ministry of Youth and Sports is committed to making sure that the Hostel is fully functional. “The new minister[of Youth & Sports] was part of the Board and he knows the problem of the Stadium, so does his permanent secretary . And not only that, most of the Cabinet ministers love sports and most of them are prepared to help in the rehabilitation and the rejuvenation of the Hostel. We just cannot get to the president for now but I know if we do, he will help because he has more than the heart to.”

When it was suggested to him to also involve the private sector for the Stadium bailout, Faye welcomed the idea and said it is something that they are currently working on to make it a public/private sector partnership which he said will be excellent. He further said the private sector can chip in to bailout the Hostel while they could also in return use the Stadium to advertise their products and services even to the international market which he hopes will generate a lot of income for them to recover their investment.

Faye also appealed to the general public to comport themselves well when using the stadium facilities and take good care of it.