Eno Orders revival of Inter-house Sports in Akwaibom

 

 

Eno orders revival of inter-house sports in Akwa Ibom schools

 

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has directed the Ministries of Education and Sports Development to collaborate with the organising committee of the just-concluded state sports festival to revive inter-house sports across schools in the state.

 

Speaking at the closing and medal presentation ceremony of the festival in Uyo, Governor Eno described sports as a multi-billion-dollar global industry and one of the pillars of his administration’s tourism agenda under the ARISE blueprint.

 

He said:

 

> “I want the organising committee to work with the Ministry of Education to revive inter-house sports across all our schools. That is where talents can be harnessed. We can catch them young. Back in the days, we used to go to other secondary schools for competitions. I would like us to begin those inter-secondary school sports festivals again.”

 

 

 

Eno disclosed that funding would be provided to make the competitions regular and sustainable, adding that sports remain a vital tool for talent discovery, youth development, and tourism promotion.

 

He recalled that the last sports festival in the state held 15 years ago, noting that the 2025 edition marked a true revival.

 

“In the last week, 3,600 youths drawn from the 31 local government areas competed in 18 individual and five team sports. It has been a huge success,” he said.

 

The governor congratulated athletes who participated in the festival and the recent National Youth Games in Asaba, where Akwa Ibom won 11 gold, nine silver, and 10 bronze medals to finish seventh overall.

 

He announced cash rewards of N500,000, N250,000, and N150,000 for gold, silver, and bronze medallists respectively, while also unveiling plans to further train the athletes at the Sports Academy in Eket.

 

Local government areas were also rewarded, with Itu, Uyo and Nsit Atai emerging first, second and third respectively in the competition.

 

Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, and ALGON chairman in the state, Dr Uwemedimo Udo, commended the governor for reviving the festival, describing it as a platform for talent discovery and youth empowerment.