Tuesday June 23, 2026
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The Honourable Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey has tasked football coaches in Akwa Ibom State on the need to collaborate and coordinate themselves to engender the needed standard in their career.

Elder Bassey expounded the charge on Monday, June 22,when the Association of Coaches in the state under the aegis of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, paid him a courtesy visit in his office.



In their respective declaration of the purpose of the visit, the chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, Mr Samuel Umo, and the lead coach in the team,Coach Udobia Udobia, said that they were in the office to appeal for the ministry’s sponsorship support in their efforts to get a good number of coaches in the state professionally certified.

According to the coaches, arrangements are on top gears to engage the Nigerian Institute of Sports (NIS) on an 8 week training course for about 100 coaches in the state.


They said this idea came up as an alternative to avoiding the huge cost of going to Lagos for the course, considering the attendant logistical challenges.

In his response,the sports commissioner who was impressed with the purpose, described the coming together of the coaches as a “good news for the development of sports in the state in tandem with the Arise Agenda of His Excellence Governor Umo Eno.

 

 

 

Elder Paul Bassey, Honourable Commissioner for Sports


Flanked by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Rosemary Ubia,the Sports boss said the initiative of the coaches body is the starting point of their being organized for onward progress. He ,however, seized the medium to mandate that the collaboration cuts across all the Local Government Areas in the state.

While encouraging their continuous strive to project their relevance, the commissioner, however, pinpointed the ministry ‘s ability in respect of their funding appeal, especially as every capital intensive expenditure stems from budgetary arrangements across MDAs.

According to Elder Bassey,what is paramount is the readiness of the coaches to standardize themselves,as it would birth the instrumtality of value in their collective efforts, especially as coaching assignment difiies nepotism in the strive for professionalism and excellence.