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More than 4,000 athletes from the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State are competing in the second edition of the Akwa Ibom Sports Festival across 27 sports.
Governor Umo Eno disclosed this on Tuesday in Uyo while declaring the annual sports festival open.
Represented by his deputy, Sen. Akon Eyakenyi, Eno said sports remained an important component of his administration’s ARISE agenda, particularly in youth development and empowerment.
He said the festival was designed to discover talents from the grassroots and provide young people with opportunities to develop their sporting abilities.
Eno recalled that athletes discovered during the 2025 edition were exposed to the NDDC Games in Delta State, where they won 16 gold, 17 silver and 22 bronze medals.
He said the state government had approved additional financial incentives for the athletes and directed the Commissioner for Sports Development to arrange their presentation.
The governor also cited the state’s weightlifting team, which emerged African champions at a competition in Egypt and qualified to represent Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Eno urged athletes participating from the 31 local government areas to demonstrate sportsmanship and use the festival to showcase their talents.
Commissioner for Sports Development, Paul Bassey, commended the governor for sustaining the festival, saying it had produced positive results for young athletes in the state.
Bassey said the ministry had addressed some challenges recorded during the previous edition to improve the 2026 festival.
He said registration had been moved online to prevent irregularities and added that athletes would not be allowed to switch local government areas from one edition to another.
According to him, an athlete who competed for a local government in 2025 must remain with the same local government this year and would require at least three years before being eligible to move.
The commissioner also advised participants to shun performance-enhancing drugs and compete with their natural abilities.
He said the most important outcome of the festival was not necessarily an athlete’s position but the potential displayed, which could be developed into a successful sporting career.
Goodwill messages were also delivered by the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, and other stakeholders.
