Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has approved the construction of a 10,000-seater stadium in Eket town in Eket Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Sport, Mr. Monday Ukoh, who inspected the old Eket Stadium on Wednesday, said the new facility would be completed before the end of May 2018.
Ukoh told reporters that the stadium would have tartan tracks and a practice pitch.
According to him, the facility when completed, will offer the residents of the city an opportunity to watch top flight football.
The commissioner said, “We are not going to inherit anything from the old stadium. Everything here will give way for a brand new stadium which by the grace of God will be completed before the end of May 29, 2018.
“We are going to construct a stadium that will take at least 10,000 spectators, and going by the enthusiasm and quality that the governor attaches to his projects, the stadium should be able to attract international matches.”
On the move to develop athletes, who excelled at the last state youth games, Ukoh said the athletes would represent the state in the forthcoming National Youth Games in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Our correspondent learnt that Eket Stadium was constructed by the Eket LGA in 1994 and hosted Mobil Pegasus FC’s’ home games. But it has since been abandoned after the organisers of the Mobil Secondary School Athletics Competition moved the event to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.