By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
In its quest to discover talents and grow the sports industry, the Akwa Ibom government is planning to host a sports festival in the State.
The State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, announced this Wednesday, when he received two Akwa Ibom’s stars, Nigeria’s Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong and Olympian, Idara Otu, in company of their families at the Governor’s Lodge, Government House, Uyo.
Ekong, a professional footballer, captains the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, and plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club, Al-Kholood.
Out, a Nigerian sprinter who had competed in the 4×400m relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, was an All-American sprinter for Stanford Cardinal track and field team, finishing 3rd on the 400m leg of the distance medley relay at the 2008 NCAA Division I indoor track and field championships.
Governor Eno, at the reception dinner, said the proposed sports festival will help discover talented citizens of the State in various aspects of sports, and by so doing, grow the industry.
He identified sports development as one of the key areas of the ARISE Agenda, noting that the sports academy, which will be flagged off soon as well as other efforts within the sector, including the 9-hole golf course and other sporting facilities at the ARISE Resort, are geared towards promoting sports and sports tourism in the State.
According to him, through the efforts of successive leaders, the State has the only FIFA approved football field in the country and a standard Olympic size swimming pool, expressing belief that with the support of sports stars from Akwa Ibom, the vision of sports development, as contained in the ARISE Agenda, will be fully actualised.
Eno called on Akwa Ibom sons and daughters who are blazing the trail and making impacts in different fields of their endeavours to partner the State in their areas of strength in order to assist groom the younger ones and sustain the trajectory of making the State play big at the international scene.
The state chief executive officer appreciated Troost-Ekong for his backward integration programmes and expressed hope that with such gestures, young talents would be discovered and groomed for the future.
He said the dinner was simply to demonstrate how much the duo are valued and celebrated for their talent which has stood them out globally and has helped project their fatherland, Akwa Ibom State, to the world.
Eno said it has become an entrenched practice in his administration to celebrate Akwa Ibom people who, through dint of hard work, were making impacts in the different fields of human endeavours, and making the State proud.
Setting the tone for the gathering, the commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, appreciated Eno for hosting the sports stars, saying that it was not a mean feat for the State to have a captain of the national team, and one who is doing so well.
Bassey enumerated some giant strides of Governor Eno’s administration in the sports sector, noting that the governor was very passionate about reviving sports in the State.
In his remarks, the football star, Troost-Ekong, appreciated Governor Eno for creating out time to host him and his family as well as the star athlete, Idara Otu, and her family.
Ekong said he was in the country for some talent hunt, under the auspices of Troost Ekong Foundation, with a mission to empower Nigerian and African youths with football and education and to inspire success, resilience, and community leadership.
He lauded Eno for his leadership philosophy, development strides and the foresighted progressive alignment with government at the centre, which he foresees, will positively impact the State.
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