God'swill Akpabio International Stadium formerly known as Akwa Ibom State International Stadium Uyo.

_{pictorial view of the sport centre}

Sports centers in my City are of good numbers but have archaic structures, damaged buildings and absence of relevant facilities. Only a few newly built sport centers have equipped facilities, maintained fields, serene environments and strict policies regarding accessibility of center areas and usage of certain things. These policies are set to prevent mismanagement. Someone once said free things aren't valued as things paid for. Most government built sport centers aren't valued because it's not managed by a private entity and rules and regulations aren't sets.

But there's a government built sports centre that's gaining popularity in my city because of its structure, building and management. This is the sports centre I want to talk about — Godswill Akpabio International Stadium

I'll be targeting the stadium category of sport centers.

Brief History

This stadium was built by two sets of people under governance. One drew the structure, laid its foundation and kept it uncompleted because of finances, while the other came on board and raised it to standard with his name as the owner of the stadium. This stadium was built by a German construction firm called Julius Berger who received this contract in the year 2012 and completed it in the year 2014, under the reign of Godswill Akpabio, 2007-2015 governor of Akwa Ibom State. So the core founder was this governor, Godswill Akpabio, as he spent over $200M to have this project done and completed.

It was first known as Akwa Ibom Stadium, a home for the Super Eagles [Nigerian players] to embed and call home in Uyo. We have other international and national stadiums in Nigeria. This is one of them and one of the most expensive among others.

On 29th of May, 2015, His Excellency Udom Emmanuel, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, renamed the stadium from Akwa Ibom Stadium to Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, after the person who founded and built it to standard. It was completed and brought to standard in late 2014. It was commissioned in the year, 7th November, 2014.

_{The surface and structure}

The notable milestone about this place is that it was built in the capital of Akwa Ibom state, and over $200M was spent by a governor to build this stadium, a feat no governor has done that's notable in the past 18 years.

This is our legacy, and it's a 30k-seater capacity stadium. It's not as if other governors haven't built stadiums in Uyo and across. This particular standard of stadium is not built. Matches usually hold here, and the just-concluded match between **Nigeria and ** was held in this stadium, our home.

Management and Leadership Style

Since it's a governor that built and commissioned this stadium, he can't definitely be the manager because currently, he's the senate president in Nigeria. The person who manages this stadium isn't stated but is part of the government of the present governor of Akwa Ibom State. This manager, who's not stated and is barely known by workers in the stadium, has strict policies regarding the management and operation of this stadium.

You can't just come and pay money to play in this stadium, except if you're coming for other sport activities like jogging, running, gym and fitness. Even with this, you're restricted from accessing certain places, and you're kept under close watch. This prevents the vandalisation of properties, as that's what spoils most stadiums in my city. When the arena is free, anyone can go there and do as they like, no restrictions.

I'll commend this unknown manager under the management of the current governor of my state for putting in place officials who would foresee the operation and smooth running of this place. Let me not talk about serenity because it's 10/10. The maintenance level and sanitation on a daily basis are worth the hype. The organisation and policies regarding accessibility into certain areas and activities done are strict but wise. This is the reason why this Godswill Akpabio International Stadium will stand the test of time. Though the management needs to encourage workers by increasing their pay so as to work well, they have tried in keeping the standard.

Celebrities can visit this place with the aim of viewing activities done. They operate on a daily basis with workers in places doing lawns, walkway and inner cleaning. To play a match on the field, you'll need to pay heavily. This is one reason why local players can't play here or come for training. They regard their field as a billion dollar investment.

Exterior and Entrance

The building is clean and accessible to all, though not every day. Whenever the Super Eagles are here to train, entrance is restricted from outsiders. Not all facilities are accessible to outsiders on a normal day, like the field area, the dressing rooms and officers, VIP sections, first aid section and gym. These outsiders must be reputable or have done a deal with the management for usage and exploration. Those who pay are allowed to access the gym and tracks.

The building looks like a zero. The company that did this architectural design deserves an award because the materials used, structure, and shape of the building are just too much. It has an opening in the middle; that's why I said it looks like ZERO if viewed from a vertical view. It is also structured in the heart of the landscape. From my research, it sits on **48 hectares of land, which is big enough to accommodate a big estate. **

_{second entrance}

Still on the entrance, the stadium has 5 main entrances for different big events and is guarded with barbed wires to prevent unauthorised access. Guarding the main stadium are 60 small entrances round the structured stadium. Inside the stadium are 60 small entrances to the field and to the sitting areas.

There are no visible road signs on stands to show parking lots. You'll just have to use your eyes to observe where the parking lots are, as the way it's built speaks volumes. It's easily noticed without a sign.

_{parking lots}

Outdoor Areas (if any)

There are no outdoor sitting areas except the ones for couple photography as shown in the picture below. It's a stadium, and every stadium has a well-built field in its centre. This stadium has a standard-size field that is well maintained by workers. On a daily basis, they make sure the field is watered, and on a weekly basis, they'll ensure it's lawned with a machine since it's not normal grass. There are jogging areas round the field and a sand box for long jumps. These jogging areas are marked with white paint to aid runners on their tracks.

_{The field}

It's usually a setting of 5 tracks, which is the standard, except otherwise, and the spacing is enough to accommodate racers and help them maintain their lanes. Cleanliness cannot be overemphasised, as they have a regular routine for such in different areas and sections, even externally, i.e., outside the stadium.

_{Visible tracks}

Interior Atmosphere

Every office and VIP section has an air conditioner to collect down heat. There are air handling units inside the stadium to regulate the temperature during intense heat or rainfall (cold). This makes the viewers comfortable while viewing matches even in the most extreme weather conditions. It's a 30k-capacity stadium, which means it can accommodate 30k viewers to watch comfortably without sharing seats. Tickets are made available for important matches to curtail the crowd. You can't enter without your ticket, except if the governor declares it a free-for-all; that's when the crowd can be challenging to control.

The equipment in this stadium used for maintenance are quality and long-lasting equipment, and the maintenance of this equipment is ensured by the regulatory personnel. One can sit comfortably in the arena without having to bring air support to curtail heat or big hoodies to curtail intense cold.

Service/Product Experience

I didn't try any special service under a mentorship or watch. I just did racing round their field when I went to visit the place. I saw others jogging, dragging weighty tires and the like. To belong to a class, you must pay, and my distance to this place is over 45 minutes in a vehicle, which makes it a barrier.

This means I haven't tasted their services regarding sport, but I did taste their services when we had an international convention in the stadium. Their products were quality enough to be used, though we came with ours. The screens and lightings are under construction, which made us use personal sound and visual equipment. This is the area they need to improve in their equipment.

They were yielding and accommodating and even offered to help us with traffic control, but we didn't need all those as we came prepared. The environment is motivating for photographic moments and conventions like the one we attended.

Supporting Facilities

Yes, there are locker rooms and changing areas, mostly for athletes and fitness trainers and trainees. These areas are restricted to outsiders except those who are part of the training, the management and other authorised personnel. This is the reason I couldn't get a view of the place. It's always locked and secured to protect players and trainees who change up there. I may not know how clean these facilities are, but I'll talk of the restrooms. They have about 50 restrooms; located in each corner, there's an entrance.

These entrances are numbered, and the restrooms are labelled [Male and Female] for identification. The toilet closets high on the walls are for urine excretion, while the closets on the ground floor are used for faeces removal. Taps are available for washing of hands and the like. I'll rate it 9/10, as restrooms can't be completely clean and free from odour, as they're one of the most frequently used facilities.

Programs and Services Offered

A lot of programmes and services are done and rendered here. Football matches are held here, and any organisation that wants to make use of the field for a match must pay a fee. The management would make sure there's smooth running of the match. They also offer fitness programmes by external coaches who liaise with the management, as there are no feasible fitness programmes by the stadium's management. Tournaments are held by national teams, and the stadium is open for national booking. They look beyond the local communities. Unless kept free by the state government, community sessions can't be held in place.

Transparency and Communication

The rules aren't clearly displayed, but the membership for fitness training in the gym and jogging tracks is priced. They have a membership plan of 25k per month for fitness, which is roughly 131 steems. In an international stadium, safety is paramount, as we do hear cases of missing children in public places and the like. Safety is well communicated by the establishment of landmarks and precautionary measures to prevent cases of insecurity or fire outbreaks.

Labelling are made on the floor to guide one's steps, preventing missed steps and casual falls which may lead to dislocation of one's ankle or joints. In most cases, personnel and attendants are kept in stations to inform, guide and remind. They also have special features like meditation corners, recovery areas, etc. they don't have virtual training rooms.

Sport Centre	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium
Location on Google Maps	location
Location on Steem-atlas	[//]:# (!steematlas 5.00580766 lat 7.88568377 long Godswill Akpabio stadium sport centre d3scr)
OpenStreetMap	Link
Website	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium
Gate fee	Free on normal days and paid tickets on match days
Opening time	7Am
Closing time	6Am

Watching live football match

Thank you steemit community and all my good Steemian friends. @basil20 @nsijoro @edu-chemist and some of the photos credit goes to @bossj23

Adding the Parking Lots with OpenstreetMap while reviewing Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Uyo.