Pastor Umo Eno, the executive governor of Akwa Ibom state has given express order for the recommencement of inter-school competition in the state.
According to a statement released by the government house press unit on Sunday, he made the call at the closing/medal presentation ceremony of the Akwa Ibom Sports Festival.
He described sports as a multi-billion-dollar global industry and one of the cardinal points 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.
Gov Eno who noted that it had been fifteen years since the last sport festival took place in the state explained that the 2025 sport festival will revive sporting activities 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,” Eno added.
He 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 also took time to appreciate the athletes who represented the state 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.
“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.”