Akwa United lament nonredemption of houses, cash pledge

Players of Akwa United Football Club have decried the non-redemption of the pledge of houses and cash made to them by the state Governor, Udom Emmanuel after they won the 2015 edition of the Federation Cup.

The club won the Cup for the first time in 2015, thereby prompting the governor to pledge paying each of the players the sum of Two Million Naira (N2million) and a 2-bedroom apartment.

But the victorious 2015 FA Cup champions said they were yet to receive either the N2miilion or the 2-bedroom flats two years after the promise was made.

Some of the players, who spoke to newsmen in Uyo, on condition of anonymity, said they could not understand why the state government would not fulfil the pledge it made to them in 2015 at that happy moment when they won the cup.

The players said the governor managed to give them the sum of N50, 000 when they visited him at the Government House to formally inform him that they had reached, the finals of the FA Cup competition, adding that the state government had also failed to pay them match bonuses and allowances.

“On the 2-bedroom apartments, the then chairman of the club, Mr. Nse Ubeh and some officials of the state ministry of sports only show us the houses at the 1,000 Housing Units constructed by the state government at Ikot Ekpene and Uruan local government areas. We were only shown the houses but the keys to the houses were not given to us.

“Again, the state government refused to give us the original documents of the houses for us to take legal and full possession of them. ýWe were only given photocopies of the house documents and, of course, you know that you can’t claim ownership of a property with photocopied documents,” one of the players said.

In his remarks, the media officer of Akwa United FC, Mr. Mfon Patrick confirmed that the state government was yet to fulfil its promises to players of the club who won the 2015 FA cup.