Bassey lauds Udom over Akpabio International Stadium

Renowned sports administrator, Paul Bassey, has praised Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, for his magnanimity and largeness of heart in naming the Akwa Ibom International Stadium after his predecessor, Godswill Akpabio.

The FIFA Match Commissioner, CAF General Coordinator and Instructor on Club Licensing said in Uyo on Friday that “sports being my culture medium, his excellency made my day by that singular declaration, even the first in office…..”

The board member of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation said he was in Uyo to be part of the swearing in ceremony and he was delighted to see Governor Akpabio not only commissioning new projects but naming them after prominent sons and daughters of the state. “

You can therefore imagine my joy when His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel decided to ‘pay him back’ by naming the architectural delight after him.

“The building of that stadium, one of the best in the world, was all Akwa Ibom needed to get to the pinnacle of world sports and Governor Akpabio said that much on commissioning day last year, when he prayed for the effective utilization of the infrastructure to hone the skills of Nigerian athletes, even Akwa Ibom sons and daughters, while looking forward to the production of new Charles Basseys, Etok Ebes, Etim Esins, Vincent Enyeamahs, Utitofon Nkantahs,  Enefiok Udobongs, Lawrence Iqua Iboms and Samuel Peters of the state sports fame.