Chairman of the Cross River State Sports Commission, Orok Otu Duke, has disclosed that he will not hesitate to step on toes if that is all it takes to drive home the mandate of the Commission to develop sports and stand the state in a better stead to challenge for laurels at local and international sporting events.
Duke who made this disclosure during a press conference this afternoon, carefully directed his statement to several individuals who collected colossal sums of money as mobilization for contracts awarded them but abandoned at the U.J.Esuene Stadium, Calabar. He was particularly irked that one or two of such individuals had gone to court demanding contract variation for a job not done. “It will even interest you to know that when the contract was initially signed, it was clearly stated that there will be no variation; now he has fraudulently gone to court demanding that the state pays what she does not owe”, he stated.
For sportsmen and women currently flying the state’s flag, the chairman intimated his audience that the Commission clearly emphasizes and drives a process which encourages them to combine sports and education “because when it gets to that stage where they cannot perform at the highest level, they should then feed from education”, as Duke put it.
On work presently been undertaken by the Commission at the stadium, Orok disclosed that a volleyball court, a standard wrestling arena, squash hall and weightlifting arena were all at various levels of completion. We were able to see workers busy at the various construction sites. For lovers of football, it was disclosed that the Commission in a bid to breath life into the stadium, has completed plans to create World Cup viewing centres equipped with projectors and wide screen at the stadium for the public throughout the duration of the competition holding in Russia next month.
Highlight of the engagement with the press was the introduction of Patience Okon, silver medalist at the last Commonwealth Games, table tennis queens and record holders, Offiong Edem. Cecilia Otu and Vivian, as well several budding table tennis talents honing their skills in the state.
