Footballers from Ibom Angels FC, Akwa Ibom’s representative in the Nigeria Women’s Premier League, have passed a vote of no confidence on the Sports Commissioner, Paul Bassey over what they described as outright abandonment and neglect by the sports ministry.
The players’ concerns is said to have begun with funding and welfare, which they say have deteriorated to the point where meeting basic needs has become a challenge. A player who spoke anonymously said the team is partaking in this year’s season of the Premier League competitions despite receiving support she described as grossly inadequate, leaving players to contend with poor remuneration, irregular incentives and the absence of feeding.
“We are competing at the league, but basic welfare that ordinarily should be provided by government remains a struggle. With just one square meal, and match bonuses are not regular. It puts unnecessary pressure on players who must stay fit, focused and deliver results, the player said.
Reportedly, about 30 players are housed in a three-bedroom flat, with only 3 toilets and bathrooms serving the entire team, who are making use of worn out mattresses not good for cold whether, their situation raises very serious concerns about privacy, hygiene and dignity of the league players.
While recounting their awful experiences so far, another club player disclosed that the absence of a proper kitchen has forced the use of gas cylinders within bedroom spaces, a situation she said exposes players to avoidable fire outbreak. And urged that a separate kitchen facility be provided, alongside additional accommodation that would allow for more decent living arrangements, ideally with just two players sharing a room.
Also, the club’s subvention has become a critical issue, with the funding allocated to Ibom Angels described as inadequate for the demands of the ongoing preparations for the season’s league competition. The shortfall has affected club’s ability to maintain a professional structure, with the team increasingly operating on what is described as an amateur footing and struggling to retain players for the new league season’s matches.
Addressing the press, a female sports analyst based in Uyo said the situation becomes more difficult to justify when Ibom Angels is compared with female clubs in other states within the same geopolitical zone. She cited Rivers Angels, whose players, she revealed, earn about three times more than their Ibom Angels counterparts in salaries and receive regular bonuses, while Bayelsa Queens are reportedly better remunerated, with players earning as much as four times what is obtainable at Ibom Angels.
She also pointed to the female club sides in Edo and Abia states as better placed in terms of player welfare and remuneration. The experienced sport analyst questioned why Akwa Ibom’s female footballers should receive less attention despite the state being one of Nigeria’s major oil-producing states, alongside Rivers and Bayelsa. And stressed that Ibom Angels is entering its third year in the league after gaining promotion and remains the first female club from the Akwa Cross region to attain that level, with Cross River’s female side only recently after many years of not participating in it.
In her remarks, “Given the team’s unwavering commitment and performances since reaching the league, the players deserve greater investment and attention to enable them compete more effectively. As peculiar to this season, a former player who featured for Ibom Angels in the last Premier League season revealed that transportation challenges of the team was particularly worrying, recalling they travelled for league matches in an old coaster handed down from Dakada FC after decades of usage.
“The bus was already very old when it came to us, and travelling long distances across Nigeria in it was very life threatening and also frightening. So, you could not be so certain what would happen on the road, she lamented the situation.
“We were female players representing Akwa Ibom in last year’s league, yet the condition of the vehicle we traveled with made it like we were risking our lives, and government didn’t care, she added.
The former Ibom Angels player equally recounted a certain horrible experience during last season when the team’s vehicle broke down at a dangerous location in Kogi State, a route reportedly notorious for bandit attacks and kidnappings. In her remarks, “We were lucky to be alerted to hide in the bush until the vehicle was repaired and able to continue the journey, she said.
“We eventually continued, but the following day, an Akwa Ibom NYSC corps member was among those abducted on that same road.” That incident underscores life-threatening risks these female players face during long-distance journeys amid prevailing national insecurity. According to her, the governor had promised to provide the club with a brand-new bus to ease the hazards and stress associated with travelling for their matches, but the promise, she noted remains still unfulfilled.
The situation has also exposed a troubling disparity in the treatment of Ibom Angels and Akwa United, the state’s male football club, raising concerns on need to uphold gender equality. The female analyst who spoke with newsmen explained.
“While both teams have different structures and operational demands, the stark difference in the support available to them raises a more fundamental question over whether the women’s team is being accorded seriousness and priority expected of a state-owned club competing at the highest level of national football, she said emphatically.
Beyond the immediate welfare concerns, the situation is beginning to expose a wider contradiction in the state’s sports administration. The team is competing where performance, discipline and preparation are non-negotiable, yet the conditions described by players point to a widening gap between the standards demanded on the pitch and the actual resources made available by the Akwa Ibom state government to sustain the club.
Despite the challenges, the players remain determined as the season begins and it proves that Ibom Angels can always be a formidable force in Nigerian women’s football. What they seek, they insist, is not preferential treatment but the basic structure, investment and protection required to turn their talent and commitment into results and restore the pride associated with the state’s representation in women’s game.
The players and stakeholders alike as the new league kickoffs are now calling for a swift and fundamental review of club’s welfare by ensuring an increased subvention, befitting salaries and regular match bonuses, housing facilities, and new vehicle.
Stressing that no career should be allowed to suffer such inhumane treatments, life-threatening logistical setbacks and unhygienic living conditions, particularly in a team made up of our young women.
They expressed profound gratitude to the club’s Chairman, Prince Ukeme Ukpong, for his outstanding commitment to keeping the team afloat, noting that his personal sacrifices have helped sustain the club despite worrisome challenges confronting it. And however, insist personal sacrifices by the chairman which includes provision of one square meal for the players in this season, among other subtle initiatives won’t substitute structured government support required to run a league team owned by the state.
Then urged the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey to present their plights to the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council for consideration.
