By Akanimo Kufre
The Akwa Ibom State Football Association (FA) has commenced discussions with the Akwa Ibom State Emergency Medical and Ambulance Services (AKISEMSAS) on a partnership aimed at strengthening emergency response and medical support at football matches and tournaments across the state.
The initiative is designed to ensure prompt first aid, stabilisation and evacuation of players, officials and spectators who may suffer medical emergencies or injuries during football activities.
The partnership discussions began on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the Nest of Champions, Uyo, with a sensitisation workshop for Local Government Football Association chairmen, referees, match commissioners, clubs, academies and coaches.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State FA, Samuel Umoh, stressed that medical support must be an integral part of football organisation, regardless of the level of competition.
“In football, we know that safety is paramount, and that includes emergency management. We want to expose it to our people. We want them to know we are serious,” Umoh said.
He added that the arrangement would cover a wide range of football activities, including All-Stars matches, academy competitions, school football and other grassroots games, with the FA seeking to establish AKISEMSAS as a permanent component of football events in the state.
The Head of AKISEMSAS, Dr Jacob Etiemana, said the agency was prepared to deploy sports medicine and emergency medical response to football and other sporting events.
“One of the things we can deploy easily is sports medicine. It is a section that would be able to provide responses to minor, intermediate or major sports incidents, with the coordinating response of the EMS systems of AKISEMSAS. We can provide care,” Etiemana said.
He recalled the agency’s experience during the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Games hosted in Uyo, where, according to him, more than 900 stabilisations were carried out without any recorded mortality.
Etiemana said the service also responded to serious medical emergencies, including convulsions, diarrhoea and a cholera outbreak that affected more than 50 people.
He further disclosed that AKISEMSAS attended to more than 10,000 athletes during the first edition of the Akwa Ibom Sports Festival, experiences which prompted discussions with the FA on developing a permanent sports emergency response plan for the state.
During the sensitisation programme, stakeholders were taken through emergency response procedures covering cardiac arrest, unconsciousness, fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains. Participants were also taught the importance of immediate assessment and intervention within the first few minutes of an incident before professional medical assistance arrives.
They were subsequently divided into five breakout groups for practical discussions and demonstrations.
The stakeholders were also taken through the equipment and facilities available inside an AKISEMSAS ambulance, including communication and visual systems that enable medical experts to provide guidance and support while patients are being transported to hospital.
A participant, Mfon Edet, Chairperson of Mini Football in Akwa Ibom State, described the initiative as timely, saying the training had equipped sports stakeholders with knowledge that could help save lives.
She said participants were taught what to do during the critical first few minutes of an emergency while waiting for professional assistance, adding that the knowledge could also be applied during domestic emergencies.
Edet commended the state government for establishing AKISEMSAS and providing a 24-hour toll-free emergency response service, describing the development as a major advancement in the state’s healthcare and sports sectors.
Also speaking, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, commended the FA for initiating the collaboration, saying it would reduce the burden on the ministry while positioning the state as a model for sports medicine and emergency response.
“The cost of health cannot be compared to the cost of a coffin. The outfit, AKISEMSAS, is a model that we are proud of. They are unique,” Bassey said.
He said the partnership should extend beyond football to other sporting disciplines, particularly combat sports, where prompt emergency response is equally critical.
Bassey said the collaboration would help prevent avoidable tragedies associated with sporting events, citing incidents involving athletes in Katsina and Kaduna, as well as the death of a referee during a fitness test in Abuja, as reminders of the need for effective emergency response systems in sports.
Details of the proposed partnership between the Akwa Ibom FA and AKISEMSAS are expected to be finalised and unveiled in the coming days.
