The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has hinted at the flag off of the Abia Sports City in Umuahia before the end of the year.

The city, according to the Governor, would host a modern stadium and other facilities, as land has already been acquired.

“I’m sure before the end of the year, we will flag off the construction of the new Umuahia stadium. The land is already acquired, and we are at the feasibility stage.

“Because we are not just building a stadium, we are building a stadium city, like a sports village,” the Governor said while receiving Abia-born international footballer and Super Eagles star, Mr Samuel Chukwueze, who visited to thank him for identifying with him during his mother’s burial over the weekend.

Explaining the layout of the sports facility, Governor Otti said, “There will be hotels; there will be estates; there will be other attractions just to develop that path.

“We would like our people to come and invest here. Pick whatever is of interest to you. You may be interested in one thing or the other, and we will give priority to our people.”

He congratulated Mr Chukwueze on the feat he has achieved in sports and for being a good ambassador of Abia State and assured him of the support of the State Government to him.

“Let me also congratulate you on the great feat and for representing the State very well. We can assure you of our support. If there are things that we can do, just let us know. We like to support our own anywhere they are.”

He described the demise of Chukwueze’s mother as a monumental loss and encouraged him to take heart and bear the loss with fortitude.

Earlier, the Abia-born international football star, Mr Chukwueze, said he visited the Governor in the company of his friends, to thank him for his support and for identifying with him during the burial of his late mother, last Friday.

He commended the developmental strides of the administration of Governor Alex Otti, describing the visible transformation across the State as evidence of purposeful leadership.