By Patrick Titus
The outcome of the Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival tagged: Ibom 2025, transcends beyond talents discovery at grassroots to naira rain as the state Governor, Pastor Umo Eno splashed cash rewards on medalists.
Governor Eno who declared the week-long event closed at the Uyo Township Stadium Saturday, September 13, 2025, announced cash rewards of ₦500,000 for gold, ₦250,000 for silver, and ₦150,000 for bronze medals winners across the 31 local government areas of the state who participated.
The Governor in addition, recognized the local governments for their participation, with ₦15 million awarded to the overall winning LG, ₦10 million to the runners-up and ₦5 million to the third-placed LG, while all other Local Government Areas each received ₦2 million.
On the first category of the prize awards, Governor Eno said that athletes who excelled at the just-concluded National Youth Games in Asaba, where Akwa Ibom placed 7th with 11 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze medals, will also benefit from the package and receive further training at the State’s Sports Academy in Eket.
Describing the sports festival as a huge success with a commendation to the Inter-Ministerial Organizing Committee led by Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, Governor Eno reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sports and tourism development.
It would be recalled the sports festival which was declared open on Monday by the Governor but represented by his deputy, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, had over 3,600 athletes from the 31 local government areas competing in 18 individual and five team sports.
With its theme “Nurturing Talents, Promoting Tourism”, the Ibom Sports Festival was designed to discover, nurture, and groom raw talents capable of competing and excelling on the global stage, besides aiming to boost the tourism sector of the state.
He stressed that sports have grown into a multi-million-dollar global industry and urged stakeholders in Akwa Ibom to take deliberate steps to identify and promote young talents who can compete favourably with their counterparts worldwide.
Governor Eno cited the achievements of world-class athletes of Nigerian descent such as Bukayo Saka of Arsenal FC, Super Eagles star William Troost-Ekong of Etinan origin, WBO heavyweight champion, Moses Itauma, and NBA coach Ime Udoka, noting that Akwa Ibom is poised to produce more stars of similar pedigree through structured investments.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Dr. Uwemedimo Udo commended the Governor for prioritizing sports development and tourism in the state.
He stressed that the event would give young athletes valuable exposure, helping to elevate them to national and international competitions with their God-given talents.
Dr. Uwemedimo pledged ALGON’s readiness and unwavering support throughout the process in ensuring fair play games, describing the Governor’s approach as a worthy investment where young sports men and women will have equal opportunity to be exposed globally through their creativity and talent.
