OmJesus!!! Check out Uyo stadium.

Uyo Stadium

At first glance, you will mistake it for the Soccer City Stadium in Soweto, South Africa, in concept and design.

According to Bassey Bassey, “ if you make that mistake, you will be right, preliminarily…”

Bassey is the site engineer of the Uyo Ultra Modern Stadium who is quick to add that though the Soccer City may have an edge in terms of seating capacity,  the Uyo Stadium is aesthetically superior.

“Whereas the South African Stadium is covered in plastic, the Uyo Stadium is all round acrylic glass shell that gives it a kaleidoscopic and aesthetic feature that is a delight to see.”

Bassey is one of those saddled with the responsibility of delivering the stadium by September 23, and they are minded to deliver!

Governor Godswill Akpabio has declared his intention to commission the stadium on September 23 during the state’s 23rd anniversary and the deadline must be met. The Governor prides himself as meeting the expectations of his people through numerous grassroots and developmental projects in his unique transformational agenda that has drawn accolades from home and abroad, yet none seems to delight him like the Uyo Stadium project.

“When you see the governor talk about the stadium, passion lights his face. He is proud of the edifice that will transform the sports fortunes of the youth of Akwa Ibom and provide an avenue for international interaction on the sports arena,” an aide revealed in Uyo.

Management and players of Akwa United were pleasantly surprised last week when the governor paid an unscheduled visit to them during a professional league match at home against Lobi Stars of Makurdi.

The boys suddenly had the fillip to perform better and finally won the match to the delight of the governor who took the opportunity to also talk about the stadium which according to him, will attract international sports engagements and entertainment packages to Uyo.

He will want to see those who will display their wares in the stadium going on to make it at the international stage, playing for clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

The state Commissioner of Information, Mr Aniekan Umanah, was embarrassed recently when the 2014 calendar came out, only for someone to draw his attention to the fact that less than one month after he commissioned photographers to take the pictures of the stadium, work had progressed far beyond his portrayal in the calendar.

The Olympic-sized Uyo stadium is a study in functionality and one-stop sports park. Apart from its indoor sports facility that caters for all sports, the stadium is complimented by an annexed training pitch complete with a six lane track while the stadium itself has eight athletics tracks.

True to its earlier axonometric projection, the basement of the 30,000 all-seater stadium is endowed with dressing rooms, referees and match commissioners rooms, doctor’s and doping control facility, a sick bay, warm up area and enough offices that can be converted to meet specific sports and functions.

There are also dedicated entrances for VIPs and teams and modern drainage facilities that service the natural grass available.

The terraces amplify comfort, compartmentalised to include the media tribunes and radio and TV cabins with internet facilities, VIP and VVIP area with adjacent hospitality lounges.

The Public Address System, multi functional High Definition scoreboard, Floodlights of FIFA recommended lux intensity of 150/50, a lighting that will be a delight for live broadcast at night, are some of the features that stand out this stadium as a structural elegance.

Situated in an area with enough access roads and parking space, security is a plus.

Mrs Regina Udobong of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited joins in the admiration. Coordinator of the 13 year-old Akwa Ibom State NNPC/MPN Track and Field Championships for schools and colleges, said she was looking forward to the finals of this year’s event in the brand new tartan tracks of the Uyo Stadium. “In the past, we saw our kids struggle to run on beaten earth surfaces and this limited their progress. Last year we tried an experiment by training them on the tartan tracks of U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar and they exploded. We are looking forward to a grand occasion this year in Uyo.”

She is joined by the Chairman of Akwa United Hon. Isong Isang. “With an atmosphere like that, Akwa United will have no excuse not to play well. We are grateful to His Excellency for bringing to our doorstep, what we ordinarily see and admire abroad.”