By; Patrick Titus, Uyo
The Main Organizing Committee (MOC)
of the 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival has planned to include golf in the festival calendar besides other regular sports.
This was announced on Thursday, after a meeting of the MOC with members of the State’s Executive Council as well as top officials of the Ministry of Youth in attendance to ensure the successful hosting of the sports fiesta in Uyo, the state capital next month.
Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, who doubles as the MOC chairman announced that a minimum of 10 Local Government Areas must indicate interest in a particular sport before such an event will be included in the 2026 festival programme.
He disclosed that an online portal has been created to facilitate the digital registration of athletes and officials from all 31 Local Government Areas of the state.
The MOC chairman further informed members of the committee that the official commencement date of the festival is subject to approval by the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, who had earlier approved the hosting of the sporting event this year.
According to him, the festival is expected to be concluded before the commencement of the 2026/2027 academic session in September, in order to avoid disruption of the state’s academic calendar.
The MOC also agreed that the festival would be hosted at venues within Uyo, the state capital, to facilitate effective supervision, monitoring and tracking of athletes throughout the competition.
To further strengthen the quality and professionalism of officiating, the meeting unveiled plans to engage the services of qualified technical officials from neighbouring states.
The committee also encouraged all Local Government Areas to put the necessary structures and preparations in place ahead of the festival, assuring that both the Main Organising Committee (MOC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) would continue to engage and brainstorm with relevant stakeholders towards ensuring a successful and memorable 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival.
The meeting is part of ongoing efforts by the state government to establish a well-organised competitive and sustainable sports festival capable of identifying talents and providing a platform for young athletes across the 31 Local Government Areas to showcase their abilities.
In attendance were the Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr. Ekerete Ekanem; Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Anieti Udofia; Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Essien; Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umana; Commissioner for Women Affairs Mrs Inibehe Silas, Secretary of the committee and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Mrs. Rosemary Ubia, as well as Directors in the Ministry of Sports.
Other members of the committee include Mkpisong Frank Archibong, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Nsikak Ekong, Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources and Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs Hon. Emem Ibanga.
