The Akwa Ibom State Executive Council, chaired by Governor Umo Eno, has approved the hosting of the State Sports Festival from September 8–13, 2025.
During deliberations at the Executive Chambers on Tuesday, the council resolved that “the festival, which is part of the youth development thrust of the Arise Agenda, will be designed to promote sports and talent development across the state.”
In a special message, the governor urged council members, stakeholders, and local government chairmen to mobilise strong support for their respective areas. The festival will feature both junior and senior athletes from all 31 local government areas.
Competitions will be held in 18 sports: Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Chess, Darts, Judo, Karate, Kung Fu, Scrabble, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Para Athletics, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Swimming, and Football.
Golf, Cricket, Kokowa, and Ayo will be staged as demonstration sports, while team events will be decided at the senatorial level.
An inter-ministerial committee headed by the Commissioner for Sports has scheduled a meeting this week with local government chairmen and sports supervisors to fine-tune logistics for the festival.
Meanwhile, sub-committees have been set up to handle Technical and Facilities, Security, Medical/Accommodation, Ceremonial, Transport, Secretariat, Media/Publicity, Entertainment, and Finance.