Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has directed the State Ministries of Education and Sports to collaborate with the Ministerial Organising Committee of the just-concluded State Sports Festival to revive sporting activities at primary and post-primary schools through the revival of inter-house and inter-school sports competitions.
Speaking at the closing/medal presentation ceremony of the Akwa Ibom Sports Festival, the Governor said it was necessary to harness talents at tender levels to feature in national and international scenes.
He said sports is a multi-billion-dollar global industry and features prominently as a cardinal point of the sports tourism drive of his administration, as outlined in the ARISE Agenda.
“I want the Ministerial Organising Committee to work with the State Ministry of Education to revive inter-house sports across all our schools in this state. That is where talents can be harnessed, too. We can catch them young.
“Back in the days, we used to go to other secondary schools for sports competitions. I would like us to begin those inter-secondary school sports festivals. And I can tell you that that was where we discovered some of the talented stars abroad. We shall make funding available, but sport and tourism must be encouraged. It will be a regular event in our calendar.
“We want to tap into this huge industry and discover new talents who would thereafter carry our flag at major sporting events. The theme of this festival – “Nurturing Talents, Promoting Tourism” – captures our strategic vision in this regard. Tourism is a key plank of this administration as we prepare our state for growth beyond oil.
“We hope to commission our Arise Resorts in December, which, among other world-class amenities, parades a 9-hole golf course and sporting pavilions, both indoor and outdoor,” he said.
Related: Ibom Arise Resort To Open For Use In December – Gov. Umo Eno
Governor Eno said the last sports festival in the state took place 15 years ago and described the 2025 sports festival as a revival of sports in the state.
“In the last week, we have brought together 3,600 youths drawn from all the 31 local government areas, who, in an infectious display of the spirit of unity, brotherhood, sportsmanship, and peace, competed for laurels in 18 individual sports and five team sports. The event, from all indications, has been a huge success,” he added.
Governor Eno congratulated all the athletes who participated in the week-long event, saying, “You and the State are all winners, the youths are all winners, and the chairmen of local government councils who daily showed solidarity with their athletes and cheered them to victory are all winners as well.”
He congratulated athletes from the state who participated in the recent National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, and commended them for winning 11 gold medals, 9 silver, and 10 bronze medals and also for taking the 7th position overall, out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory that competed in the games.
“We are rewarding all the gold medallists with N500,000 each, N250,000 for silver, and N150,000 for bronze medallists. We will train them further at the Sports Academy in Eket, an ambitious and strategic investment we have undertaken, aimed at discovering, preparing, and exposing our youths to compete in sporting events, utilising modern sporting equipment we have purchased for the Academy.”
Medallists from the sports festival, which produced 156 gold medallists, 156 silver, and 198 bronze medallists from 18 competitive sports, were also rewarded as follows: Gold medal: N500,000; silver medal: N250,000; and bronze medal: N150,000.
The Governor also appreciated and rewarded the organising committee, local government chairmen and local government supervisors of sports for their commitment and dedication to the festival and urged the committee to commence preparation for the 2026 edition.
In their separate remarks, the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, Local Government Chairmen, through the State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Dr Uwemedimo Udo, and Sports Supervisors, through the Dean of the College of Supervisors of Sports in Local Government Areas, Hon. Ofonekpe, as well as the initiator of the Niger Delta Sports Festival and Chairman of Dumanis Icon, Sir Itiako Malik Ikpokpo, commended the Governor for reviving the sports festival in the State, saying that through the encounter, talents have been discovered and young people meaningfully engaged.
They also commended the Governor for his committed investments in sports, especially for the soon-to-be-built sports academy in Eket, the purchase of sporting facilities, and the appointment of a competent sports manager as commissioner in the Ministry of Sports.
The high point of the event was the presentation of trophies to Itu, Uyo and Nsit Atai Local Government Areas for coming first, second and third in the competition.
