Gov Eno Rewards Akwa Ibom Medalists, Non-Winners After NDDC Festival

Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno has approved over ₦50 million in cash rewards for athletes, coaches and officials following the state’s outing at the second Niger Delta Sports Festival in Benin City, Edo State.

A total of 44 Akwa Ibom athletes who won medals at the festival received cash incentives at a presentation ceremony held on Tuesday at the conference room of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, said the rewards reflected the governor’s commitment to sports development and followed the state’s improved performance at the competition.

Bassey attributed the progress to the provision of standard training equipment, which enabled athletes to prepare more effectively for the festival.

‘After we hosted the first edition in Uyo, we didn’t do as well as expected. But following His Excellency’s approval for the purchase of standard sports equipment, our athletes started training with the right tools and the gains are evident,’ he said.

The commissioner disclosed that the beneficiaries had already received their payments directly into their bank accounts. He added that Eno extended the incentives beyond medal winners to include non-medalists, coaches and all members of the state contingent.

‘This is the first time in the sporting history of this state that the entire team, both winners and non-winners, have been celebrated with incentives,’ Bassey said.

Under the reward structure, gold medalists received ₦500,000 each, silver medalists ₦250,000 and bronze medalists ₦150,000.

Weightlifter Samuel Sampson emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries, receiving ₦1.5 million after winning three gold medals.

Tennis player Etoro Bassey, who won one gold and one silver medal, received ₦750,000. Hephzibah Okon, who won gold in the women’s 800m and silver in the 1500m, also received ₦750,000, as did Wisdom Paul for winning gold medals in the individual and mixed tennis events.

Bassey further recalled that three Akwa Ibom athletes who won medals for Nigeria at the recent Commonwealth Games in Scotland were rewarded with automatic employment into the state civil service.

Speaking on behalf of the athletes, Scrabble bronze medalist Beulah Bassey thanked the governor and the Ministry of Sports for recognising their achievements and establishing a culture of rewarding excellence.

She pledged that the athletes would remain committed to winning more medals and bringing further honour to Akwa Ibom State.