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A total of 44 Akwa Ibom athletes who won medals at the second edition of the Niger Delta Games in Benin City have received cash rewards from Governor Umo Eno for their outstanding performances.
The presentation was held on Tuesday at the conference room of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, said the governor approved over N50 million as incentives for medal-winning athletes, coaches and officials, following the state’s improved outing.
Bassey attributed the performance to the governor’s support, particularly the provision of standard training equipment after the first edition hosted in Uyo.
He said the governor directed that all medal winners be rewarded, and that the payments have been made directly into their accounts. He added that the governor also extended incentives to non-medal winners, coaches and officials – the first time the entire contingent has been celebrated.
The commissioner recalled that three Akwa Ibom athletes who won medals for Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland were also rewarded with automatic employment into the state civil service.
Under the scheme, gold medalists received N500,000 each, silver medalists N250,000 and bronze medalists N150,000.
Top beneficiaries include weightlifter Samuel Sampson, who won three gold medals and received N1.5m, while tennis stars Etoro Bassey and Wisdom Paul, and athlete Hephzibah Okon each got N750,000 for winning one gold and one silver or two gold medals.
Speaking on behalf of the athletes, bronze medalist in Scrabble, Beulah Bassey, thanked Governor Eno and the Ministry of Sports, pledging greater commitment to bring more honours to the state.
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