By Ededet Nyong
When the self-styled former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (Rtd), created Nigeria’s 21st State, Akwa Ibom in 1987, little did he know that he was carving out what would later become nature’s gift to Nigeria’s sports sector. 37 years on from that historic moment, Akwa Ibom has evolved into not just the nation’s preferred sporting destination, it has become home to the country’s male senior football team, the Super Eagles.
The journey to the state’s prominence was not just a walk in the park. It took painstaking effort of the state’s leaders to arrive at the feat; prominent among them being the former Governor of the state, now Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, whose administration built the 30,000 capacity ultra-modern sports complex, aptly named after him. Today, the stadium stands tall as the only one in the country approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for A-rated FIFA football matches in the country. Little wonder, the nation’s teams engaged in CAF competitive top football matches, Enyimba FC of Aba, in the CAF Confederations cup and Rangers Int’l of Enugu in the CAF Champions League, are playing their home matches at the Godswill Akpabio Int’l Stadium, Uyo. Even the country’s minister of sports, Senator John Enoh, was recently quoted as thanking Akwa Ibom State for saving the country the embarrassment of playing FIFA grade football matches outside the country. A lot that would have befallen Nigeria if the Godswill Akpabio Int’l Stadium was not built in Uyo.
With such a magnificent stadium in place, it would only be proper for the state to also be home to magnificent sporting talents; ready to be showcased to the world. One such avenue of showcasing the best of Akwa Ibom sporting talents was the Akwa Ibom State Youth Games.
Conceptualised and implemented by the immediate past administration of Mr. Udom Emmanuel, the sporting meet brought together over 20,000 school students competing in 25 sports for honours. Bar. Solomon Dalung, the then minister of sports, who called it, “the biggest sporting showcase in the history of Nigerian Sports,” enthused that with the meet, Akwa Ibom would soon be showcasing the best sporting talents from the country to the world.
Though the Akwa Ibom Youth Games has not quite achieved the lofty heights set for it by the nation’s sports administrators, it has at least produced a few sporting talents who have set the world ablaze in their different sports.
Imaobong Nse Uko, a product of the games on full scholarship at Baylor’s University, USA, is showcasing her talents to the world in athletics. After picking a gold medal in the 400 metres at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships, Imaobong Uko took her craft to the Olympics where she competed in the mixed 400 metres relay event. Rebecca Ekpenyong is another product of the games showcasing her talents in the world of tennis. The just over 20 years-old has raked up series of honours in junior internationals tennis tour and is now looking to climb up the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rankings.
Aniekeme Alphonsus, a renowned sprinter in the 100 and 200 metres races, is another athlete from Akwa Ibom showcasing her talents to the world. A product of the now rested Mobil Track and Field Athletics competition, Aniekeme has won gold and silver medals in the African and world junior athletics competitions. Upon graduating to the senior category, she picked gold in the National Sports Festival in 2017.
Elder Paul Bassey, the consultant to the Mobil Athletics meet, described the athlete as a rare gift from the Mobil Nigeria sponsored competition which lasted for all of 5 years.
Judo, a sport not very popular in the country, has been made popular in Akwa Ibom by the Coach Ewa Ekuta judoka family. The latest export from the family, Enku Ekuta is showcasing her talents to the world through Judo. She takes the national, African and global stages by storm winning gold medals in the 2020 National Sports Festival in Benin and 2021 Africa Judo Champion in Dakar, Senegal. Same year, she qualified and took part in the Judo event at the Olympics Competition in Tokyo. In a recent interview, the judoka Olympian attributed her serial success to her judoka Olympian mum, Coach Catherine Ekuta and Judo coach dad, Coach Ewa.
Born, trained and horned in Akwa Ibom, the former World Boxing Council (WBC) World Heavy Weight Champion, Samuel Peter, is perhaps the greatest sporting talent from the state who bestrode the boxing world like a colossus in his heyday. Fresh from competing for the country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Samuel Peter moved on to become the WBC Heavy-weight Champion of the world some years later. His compatriot, Enobong Umohette, though has not hit the kind of bright lights Samuel Peter did, is slowly climbing up the boxing ladder and “should only be a heart-beat away from boxing glory,” Bassey Akpan, a boxing enthusiast in the state said.
In weightlifting, Coach Lawrence Iquaibom remains the brightest lift for over 30 years now. The coach, a Commonwealth and All African Games multiple gold medalist, is also involved in referring the sports. Upon his return from his refereeing duties at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Coach Iquaibom told us that he is planning to organize a weightlifting clinic to discover the next Lawrence Iquaibom from the state. Corroborating the sentiments of the coach, Edidiong Stephen, the special assistant, Media to the commissioner forsports, said Coach Iquaibom had submitted proposals to that effect to the Ministry and that the weightlifting clinic would commence soon.
Basketball is one sports not very embraced in the state. However, two Akwa Ibom-born indigenes have not only embraced it, they have written the state’s name in gold in the basketball journals of the United States of America Bolton Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA) coached by one of them, Ime Udoka, while his sister, Mfon Udoka works in the US National Women Basketball Association (WNBA). Both siblings had earlier on come home to be part of Nigeria’s male and female basketball playing contingents to the Olympics and FIBA Championship from 2005-2012. It is also worthy to note that Ime Udoka is the first and only Nigerian to date to coach a team in the NBA. For Mfon Udoka, her joy is to give back as she has visited home, a couple of times to organise the Mfon Udoka Basketball Clinic. The chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Akwa Ibom State Chapter, Mr Emmanuel Akpan eulogised the virtues of the female basketball legend to The Pioneer, saying she is a blessing to the State.
In football, Akwa Ibom has always been blessed with an abundance of sporting talents to showcase to the world. From the mercurial Etim “Maradona” Esin to the rock-solid Friday Ekpo, the State has always been aptly represented, in the male senior football team. However, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the world stood in awe as a raw talent, Vincent Enyeama then playing for Enyimba FC of Aba, stood between the sticks to prevent celebrated English footballers, like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Alan Shearer and others from scoring in the final group stage game between Nigeria and England. At the end of the match, which ended in a barren draw, a sporting talent that was to later be showcased to the world for over 15 years was born. Vincent Enyeama rose to be the captain of the Super Eagles as well as at some point the highest capped player with 101 caps. Like father, like son, Godswill Enyeama, the son of the country’s former number one goal-keeper has signed his first professional contract with Lile FC of France as the goalkeeper for their U-18 team. Reflecting on the young man signing the dotted lines, the state SWAN boss said it is only a matter of time before this prodigious talent is showcased to the world.
Aside Vincent Enyeama, another sporting talent from Akwa Ibom who is showcasing his craft to the football world is the current captain of the Super Eagles, William Troost Ekong. Born in Haarlem, Netherlands to a Dutch mother, Eleanove and Akwa Ibom father, the rock-solid central defender has embraced home and is contributing to its growth as seen in the recent charity football match he organised at the Godswill Akpabio Int’l Stadium. The immediate past transition chairman of his home, local government, Etinan, Uko Umoh spoke toThe Pioneer about Ekong’s passion for home, saying the connection is seamless. “It is as if he was born and raised here when he talks with you,” the politician opined.
Unlike Ekong who was born in the Netherlands, there are many football talents who were born in the state and are show-casing their talents to the world, Names like Aniekpeno Udoh, Aniekeme Okon, Emem Eduok, Ubong Ekpai, Ubong Friday, Bassey Akpan and others come to mind when talking about home ground players who showcased their skills outside the country and brought glory back to the land of promise. All of them played amateur and professional football within the State before taking their craft to the next level.
Within the State, the number one football club responsible for identifying and grooming the pool of talents is Akwa United FC. Though formed a couple of decades ago, the club has within the last few years under the chairmanship of veteran journalist and celebrated CAF and FIFA match commissioner, Mr. Paul Bassey, captured the hearts of many a football fan in the state.
The club emerged the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Champions in 2021 as well as the FA Cup Champions on two occasions. Media manager of the club, Mfon Patrick, attributes the club’s recent successes to the new found discipline and work ethic introduced into the fold by the club chairman. He said, “We train every morning by 6am and the chairman is always there before 6am.” What more motivation do you need as players and officials?” he queried. The media manager further accepted the club plays a pivotal in fishing and horning football talents in the State as well as showcasing them to the global stage.
What more is there to say about the preponderance of sporting talents in Akwa Ibom State. From football to athletics, boxing to judo, tennis to basketball, among others, Akwa Ibom-born talents have taken turns to showcase their craft on the global stage. The likes of Vincent Enyeama, William Ekong, Ime and Mfon Udoka, Aniekeme Alphonsus, Imaobong Uko, Rebecca Ekpenyong, Enku Ewuta, among others have written their names in gold, winning laurels and in the process telling the world about nature’s sporting gift to the country.
As the curtain falls on the present generation of sporting talents, the emergence of Godswill Enyeama and others shades bright spots on the future of sports in Nigeria’s 21st State. Also, the availability of a top-notch sporting complex in the mould of the Godswill Akpabio Int’l Stadium breathes hope that there will be no shortage of sporting talents in the state in the near future.
We beckon the current group of leaders to not only keep the sporting facilities in good shape, but to also look into constructing new ones. Private individuals and corporate bodies can also contribute by establishing sports academies to catch them young.
If all these and more are done, Akwa Ibom will surely continue to pride itself, as nature’s gift to the sporting sector in Nigeria.
To God be the glory!
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