Mfon Patrick
Nine indigenes of Akwa Ibom State — comprising seven athletes and two officials — are among Team Nigeria’s contingent to Accra, Ghana, for the 2026 Senior African Athletics Championship.
According to the list of athletes and officials released by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the Technical Director and General Secretary, Coach Gabriel Okon and Mr. Israel Inwang, will serve as part of Team Nigeria’s officials at the championship.
Athletes from Akwa Ibom who will feature at the championship include national women’s 800 metres champion Comfort James, female 400 metres star and Nigeria Police Champion Esther Okon, Female 400 metres revelation Jacinta Lawrence and men’s 400 metres sensations Victor Ime and Ezekiel Asuquo. Ruth Usoro will compete in the women’s long jump event, while Clergy Bassey will participate in the women’s high jump.
The African Senior Athletics Championship is scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana, from May 12 to 17, 2026. The six-day event will feature athletes from over 54 countries and serves as a major a outdoor competition ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Reacting to the development, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, wished the athletes and Team Nigeria a successful outing at the championship and assured them of the state government’s moral support.
“The joyful news of Akwa Ibom athletes and officials making up Team Nigeria’s contingent to the African Senior Athletics Championship in Ghana is certainly something worth celebrating by everyone associated with the state. We are indeed proud that in almost every major sporting event and championship, athletes and officials from Akwa Ibom continue to represent not just the state, but the country at large.
“As encapsulated in the ARISE Agenda of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno’s administration, it is the core mandate of the Ministry of Sports to identify youths with exceptional sporting talents and groom them into national and global superstars. We are proud to say that the seven athletes in the national athletics team to Ghana are among the very best produced by the state.
“The investment of His Excellency in the sports sector continues to yield positive results through the discovery and nurturing of young talents for national and international competitions.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Sports, I wish our athletes and the entire Team Nigeria a successful outing in Accra, and we hope to see them take the athletics world by storm.”
Team Nigeria, made up of athletes and officials, has already arrived in Accra and will begin its quest for honours at the championship.
