STILL ON THE EKET MODEL SPORTS COMPLEX
By Essien Ndueso
Shortly after Akwa United finished as the 2017 winners of the largest football competition in Nigeria, the Aiteo (Federation)Cup, Governor Udom Emmanuel was on his toes once again, this time finalizing his plans for more sports facilities in the state. Referring to Akwa United’s lackluster performance on the night, “I know my team, that is not how the boys usually play. They were not used to the astro turf at the Agege Stadium and that affected their usual smooth free flowing game. As soon as I get back home, we are commencing work on another stadium, which will complement the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium,” Governor Emmanuel had said in Lagos. His explanation was that the stadium with an astro-turf could be an alternative home soil for football teams in the state, to completed the natural grass turf at the Nest of Champions.
The old Eket township Stadium which was constructed by a former chairman of the area, Obong Samuel Atang in 1992 was fast becoming an eyesore. It could no longer host all the competitions among students in the area, and was merely useful for political rallies and church crusades. The issue of a befitting stadium for Eket became a mere political talk shop for successive administrations, irrespective of the area’s contributions to the economy of the country through its oil wealth. Today, Governor Udom Emmanuel has intervened, answering the prayers of Eket people in a spectacular way. According to the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Sir Monday Ebong Uko, the Eket stadium is a 10,000-seater edifice designed to be equipped with high quality tartan tracks and astro football turf imported from Turkey, Germany and other major sports capitals.
Governor Udom Emmanuel has categorically made a bold statement that he is committed to turning around the fortunes of the state in sports development. During the first youth sports competition he organised for school children at the Nest of Champions, Governor Emmanuel had explained that the only reason Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and Christiano Ronaldo are world best today is their early exposure to quality sports training facilities. “They have the same blood and the same body composition as our children.”
A leader who has no business with excuses, Mr Emmanuel is of the opinion that Nigeria has no business coming last in global sports competitions, given the abundance of raw talents untapped across the country. This explains his present mission targeted at hunting and catching talents in their embryo, nurturing and grooming them into international stars. The result of this include, increased interest and participation in sports by the youths and the recent overall 2nd best team, won by the state contingent to the 2017 National youth sports festival in Illorin. This as the Governor had earlier explained is to be expected of young people who are allowed a feel of such standard globally acclaimed sports facilities, like the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
When Sports Commissioner Monday Ebong Uko led some reporters around the stadium project site in Eket few days ago, he was upbeat that the project will provide more sophisticated facilities and aesthetics than anticipated. A look at the model of the edifice, shows that the state government is re-engineering sports to attract more interest from young people, a development devoid of political interest. The all stands –covered complex will further boost the city re-modelling programme of the governor in Eket.
No fewer than 800-1000 manual workers are paid daily to work on the project site under the supervision of the best technical experts from the state. The project is executed through the direct labour approach and this means the benefits are recorded by the indigenes from Day One of commencement.
The Eket Modern Stadium complex project is summarily executed to decentralize sports development, and also reduce the burden on the Nest of Champions, which is currently also home to the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The long anticipated arrival of equipment procured by the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel was recorded earlier this month, as the equipment in different containers were received at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on behalf of the Governor by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Sir Monday Uko who revealed that the equipment are also meant for the renovation of Uyo Township Stadium, Uyo .
“These are some of the equipment ordered from abroad’. ‘The administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel is not just delivering sports facilities to Akwa Ibom people but facilities which measure up with what is obtainable in other climes”, the Commissioner said.
“I thank the Governor for applying the highest level of financial engineering in the face of the prevalent economic situation of the Country as epitomized in his prudent management of available funds to deliver world-class democracy deliverables to the people of the State”, Mr. Uko posited.
The speed applied in the project execution, is akin to the pace at which the governor is developing all sectors of the economy. If the assurances of the Sports Commissioner are anything to go by, then by March this year, a greater percentage of the project would have been executed. This will be a major leap for a project expected to be completed by the next third anniversary of the Udom Emmanuel-led administration in the state.
The recent smooth sail of the Super Eagles for next year’s world cup in Russia, has also been linked to the active support of the Governor through incentives and maintenance of good sporting and hospitality facilities in the state. It is common knowledge that Governor Emmanuel’s arrival coincided with the dismal performance of Nigeria in notable global sports tournaments. The Super Eagles as defending Champions failed to qualify for two successive African cup tournaments. The age grades competitions that the country held sway previously became elusive all of a sudden. Parading one of the largest contingents to the last summer Olympics games in Rio De Janerio, the Nigerian team came back with a paltry bronze medal won by the Mikel Obi-led football team.
But the governor does seems determine to do more. To him, when the passion is right, nothing is impossible. The indices are pointers that Akwa Ibom under Governor Emmanuel is gradually taking its place as the model of Nigeria’s future in sports.
