Thursday, 26 December 2013

Sports Commissioner spits - EMMANUEL AKPAN

-   Says Governor’s Cup is a complete mess
-  Attacks Isong Isang, Aniedi Dickson
-  Stadium Management zero


The last may not have been heard about what happened at the maiden sport stakeholders meeting which was convened by the new Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Sir Mondy Uko.

The meeting which took place last week Wednesday at the state box of Uyo Township Stadium was well attended by movers and shakers of Sports activities in the State. 

Sir Monday Uko while addressing the stakeholders stated that convening the meeting was necessary to create a platform for the consultation and discuss of the way forward with the owners of the system to enable him to succeed in his work.  “I convene this meeting today for everybody to air out their views and feelings and also to discuss how we can move sports forward in the state. We all know that sporting activities are not moving in the night direction, a lot of things are not done well”.


Sir Monday Uko openly frowned at the stadium manager, Mr. Clement Udofia, saying that by leaving the stadium and its environs untidy and unkempt, he has not lived up to the expectations of the government. He wondered why the stadium should be dirty at all times and  noted that it is one of the reasons some fans prefer to stay back from coming out to cheer Akwa United to victory. “There is nothing wrong in keeping the stadium clean, it must be kept clean and tidy always” he said.

The Commissioner also noted with dismay the ill of funds misappropriation. “A situation where people use other people’s name to collect money from the ministry only to channel the monies into their private business without giving the sports sector a feel of it will lead us nowhere”. He particularly harped on the failure of the Special Assistant to the Governor on sport matters, Chief Isong Isang and the Director of sports in his ministry, coach Aniedi to brief him on the Situation of sporting activities. “I can say it authoritatively that up until today, nobody has briefed me on the way things are going in the ministry including my Director of sports, Coach Aneidi Dickson. My brother, Chief Isong Isang comes to my office and tells me nothing of it and I wonder why it is so. I even appealed to them to sit me down and enlighten me because I do not know anything in this ministry; gentlemen I want you to let me know so that we can move forward” he lamented. 

The Commissioner also disclosed that he has been receiving text messages of mismanagement of funds by purported owners of sports in the state and expressed displeasure that the funds are not used for their primary objectives.
While promising to carry the stakeholders along throughout his stay as the Sport Commissioner, he maintained that he will always create opportunities for criticism which he said will correct him and put things in the right direction.
Speaking on his plans, he said “we want to start recruitment of players into Akwa Starlet Football Club and we will go round the three Senatorial District to recruit Indigenous players. We will not sit down in the office to pick any player; rather we will throw it open to every Akwa Ibom indigene” 

The Commissioner however frowned at the State Football Association (F.A); the organizers of the ongoing Governor’s cup for their failure to properly organize the competition. Describing the competition as miscellaneous, he said “A Situation where the Governor’s Cup is being organized and nobody knows who performed the kick-off, there is no plan and some council chairpersons are not participating is no Governor’s cup at all. We cannot call that a Governor’s cup because it was a complete mess, so the organizers should stop fooling people”. 

Speaking on Akwa United Football Club, the Commissioner accused the management of the team of embezzling the funds released by the state government which according to him has not impressed the Governor. “The truth is that the management of Akwa united is not doing well, they think of their family and pocket rather than putting the money in the right direction, the management crew should go back and sanitize their ways”. He said.

THE INK observed that the Commissioner who spoke without the fear of anybody evoked frowning faces from those on the high table while those on the floor were seen smiling at the Commissioner’s exposure of the underlying activities of the sport stakeholders. 

In all the allegations, the SA to the Governor on sport matters who doubles as the Board Chairman of Akwa United Football Club, Chief Isong Isang and Coach Aniedi Dickson were not given the opportunity to defend themselves before the stakeholders and others who attended the meeting. But in a brief chat with newsmen shortly after the meeting, Coach Aniedi Dickson who is also the Director of sports in the ministry of Youth and Sports said “it was a welcome development and necessary that the Commissioner convene a meeting like this for everybody to air out  their views”.

Efforts to speak with Chief Isong Isang after the meeting have however proved abortive. Those who also spoke at the meeting were the Vice Chairman of Akwa Ibom Football Association, Mrs. Meyene Nkwo, Pastor Effiom Akpan, Mr Moses Peter, Hon. Idongesit Ntekpere amongst others.

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