By Idongesit David
Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Special Duties, Rt. Hon. Okpolupm Etteh, alongside officials of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick, inspected Godswill Akpabio International Stadium (Nest of Champion) to determine if Nigeria can successfully host the 10th edition of U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The Special Duties Commissioner, who also conducted the FIFA delegation on facility assessment of the Ibom Specialist Hospital, said other international standard facility within the state, including Four-Point by Sheraton Hotel, will be inspected to ensure compliance.
“Akwa Ibom stands for the best and we must give Nigeria the best as it sets to host the first ever FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Africa,” he stressed.
The event is the biennial international women’s youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship (age limit was raised from 19 to 20 in 2008), Ibom Telegraph confirmed.
The first round of bidding process for the event was announced by FIFA on July 25, 2018, with India and South Korea emerging as hosts. After India and South Korea withdrew their bids, the bid process was reopened. On 19 July 2019 FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, sent a letter to NFF.
Also present at the event included the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Sir Monday Ebong-Uko; members representing ONNA, ITU and Nsit Ibom in the State House of Assembly, Otuekong Nse Essien, Mr. KufreAbasi Edidem and Mr. Ifiok Udoh; Senior Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Security, Capt. Iniobong Ekong; Otuekong Bonny Nyong among others.
