Akwa Ibom Int’l Stadium To Be Commissioned Tomorrow

 

The uncommon transformation going on in Akwa Ibom State will come to its speak tomorrow, as all is now set for the historic commissioning of the new uncommon Akwa Ibom International Stadium Complex by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The 30,000 capacity seating edifice modeled after the German-Munich, Allianz Arena with a reflection of the Soccer City in South Africa.

Also the Home-based Super Eagles are expected to trade tackle with the Black Stars of Ghana at the lush-green grass pitch of the ultra modern sports complex as part of activities to mark the official opening ceremony which will also have in attendance two presidents from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire with the Great Pele, world football legend in attendance.

The NFF board has also announced that the new facility will host Nigeria’s November 19 African Nations Cup qualifier against South Africa.

 The stadium, constructed by Julius Berger, is a 30,000-seat facility. It is located across three villages on 48 hectares of land, has four main sections and levels described by officials of Julius Berger as the most modern organization of an all-sport facility anywhere in the world.

  Aside the well laid-out seat arrangement, the VIP and VVIP lounges are bullet-proof to secure the occupants against any terrorist attack.

It has been described as incredible, wonderful and a stadium that any team in the world  can be invited to come and play on.

  According to Pinnick, “This stadium is majestic, amazing; it is a timeless and priceless piece of architecture. It is the first of its kind in West Africa.

  “It is trendy, but smaller and I think this should be the pride of not just Nigeria, but the entire West Africa.”

According to Ime Ekpo, the Project Consultant: “This stadium has two scoreboards that comprise electronic scoreboard and video facilities for replays.  The floodlight is the most modern in the world right now. There are cameras that can detect even your text messages and we have facilities for people with all types of handicap.

  “We also have 30 emergency exits that will ensure that everybody leaves the stadium complex within six minutes.’’

  He added that the facility management team put together by the state government takes care of the four levels of the stadium, the main bowl, the tennis area, the technical areas and the access level.

  Ekpo revealed that the indoor sports hall is in the second phase of the project, but the beauty of the whole arrangement, he said, is the maintenance agreement Governor Akpabio has with Julius Berger, which gives the builders the job of taking care of the facility for 10 years.

 According to Ekpo, because the stadium is a multi-sport facility, there is a six-lane track built specifically for athletes to train, just as the stadium has a warm-up area for all sports.

  “We have a nursery, where we grow natural grass so that at the end of every game, if there is any damaged area of the football pitch, we will just transplant grass to repair it.

  “As is the case in big international stadia, our dressing rooms have lockers for every athlete or player, who is expected to put his things there, lock it and hold the key.

  “We also have a helipad, which is accessible through the ambulance bay close to the clinic. This ensures that any critically injured athlete is transferred to the new Akwa Ibom International Hospital immediately.” 

 After going through the facilities in the stadium, Pinnick, who announced that the facility has provided a new home for the Super Eagles, said, “I am very delighted that we have this kind of facility in Nigeria and together with the executive board of the NFF, we have decided that Nigeria’s last game in the AFCON qualifying series against South Africa will hold here on November 19.

  “The NFF will meet with the Akwa Ibom government to discuss how we can make the best use of this stadium. 

  “We are looking at playing our international friendlies in this beautiful edifice instead of going to England to play in Fulham FC’s ground, which is not as majestic as this place. In fact, only a few stadia in England can compare to the Uyo stadium.

  “So, we will work to bring Spain, Argentina, Germany, Brazil and other top countries to play against the Super Eagles as we rebuild our team. It doesn’t matter if they beat us in those games, we want to be playing here in our country instead of renting grounds in other countries.”

  Aside becoming a good home for the national teams, Pinnick also sees a new window of opportunity for the youths of Akwa Ibom State.

  “You should also understand that Akwa Ibom State is a proud footballing state, which has given Nigeria such artistes as Etim Esin, James Etokebe, Uwem Ekarika, Isong Isang and Charles Bassey, among others. So bringing the Eagles here will further motivate the youths of Akwa Ibom to work harder to become like their idols. 

  “We will also encourage other states to emulate what Akwa Ibom has done. If they cannot build new stadia, they should upgrade their existing ones so that we can have good quality grounds to play on.

  “We will continue to thank Cross River State for the massive role they played in seeing that Nigeria qualified for both the Under-17 Wood Cup, which we won in 2013 and the Brazil 2014 World Cup. We also call on Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Bauchi and other states to improve o their facilities.”

Earlier while explaining the reason behind the construction of the stadium, the Uncommon transformer, Governor  Akpabio told his visitors that the facility was the state’s contribution to sports development in Nigeria, adding that he had thought of such projects even before he assumed leadership of the state.