RismadarVoice Reporters
September 25, 2026
The University of Uyo is developing a new sports policy aimed at turning athletics into a sustainable revenue stream while creating a structured pathway for students to combine education with professional sporting careers.
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Christopher Ekong, disclosed this during a press briefing in Uyo, saying the university intends to move beyond occasional sponsorship of athletes to a comprehensive sports development framework.
“I don’t want to just intervene in sports. I want to make money from sports. I want to make sports a policy in the university,” Ekong said.
According to him, sponsoring individual athletes without an established framework could place additional financial pressure on the institution without delivering sustainable benefits.
“If I support and sponsor two or three footballers or athletes to America without a policy, this university will not have money,” he said.
Ekong said the proposed framework would enable student-athletes to pursue sporting opportunities without abandoning their education.
He also expressed concern over attitudes that could discourage students from developing their sporting talents, stressing that academics and sports should complement each other.
“We want to have a policy that everybody buys into. They will have facilities that make the sports people know that there are two things: education and sports,” he said.
The vice chancellor acknowledged that the university could not independently finance all the infrastructure required for the initiative and would seek partnerships with development agencies and other stakeholders.
He disclosed that the South-South Development Commission recently visited the institution and provided a framework for possible intervention.
“We are going to collaborate, look for people who are going to come and assist us to build those facilities. Maybe from NDDC, maybe the South-South Development Commission,” Ekong said.
He added that work on the sports policy document was ongoing and would be completed before further initiatives were rolled out.
“We are working on that document. We need to finish before we start doing anything more. When we unveil our sports policy, even you will be happy,” he said.
