Sports journalists hail Akwa Ibom for extending COVID-19 palliatives to members

Sport journalists in Akwa Ibom State have commended the state’s Commissioner of Sports, Monday Uko for extending the COVID-19 palliatives to them.

The commissioner yesterday donated several bags of rice, cash and other stimulus packages to the journalists. 

Leader of the sports journalists in Uyo, Mr. Emmanuel Akpan, who thanked the commissioner for identifying with them in these difficult times, expressed their readiness to work closely with the commissioner in promoting the state’s sports development. 

It would be recalled that, after five confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, the government declared a 14-day total lockdown to prevent further spread of the dreaded virus.

Earlier, the commissioner charged the journalists to observe all WHO-stipulated preventive measures against the further spread of the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic. 

Represented by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mr. Edidiong Stephen, the commissioner noted that, he was aware of the tremendous impact the pandemic was having on the media sector generally and the sports media in particular. 

He therefore charged members of the association to observe all WHO-stipulated preventive protocol against the spread of Coronavirus including social distancing, regular hand washing with soap and running water, wearing of face masks and the use of alcohol-based sanitizer regular.

He admonished members to abide with state government lockdown procedures which he said were still on-going, stressing that, the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has already set modalities in motion to ameliorate the struggles of the citizenry in these challenging times.