Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Enugu State Government has pledged to deepen partnership with the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) in the provision of sporting coaches and facilities to correctional centres.
The state’s Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Lloyd Ekweremadu, said this while kicking off the final match of 2024 Enugu Custodial Centre Annual Inter-Hostels Football Competition.
Ekweremadu, represented by the State Director of Sports, Mr Boniface Onovo, said that the move would facilitate inmate reformation and reintegration as well as making reformed inmates beneficial to the country.
According to him, the ministry will deploy two football coaches to this custodial centre to train and sharpen the raw football talents discovered in the competition.
“We are going to get them two FIFA standard footballs for training and the ministry through my department will give the best player of the competition the sum of N50,000.
“We are looking at synergising with our partners to bring facilities for indoor games such an Olympic standard table tennis board and all its facilities, standard snooker board, chess board, badminton court and others.
“It is clear that investment in sports here will lead to a win-win situation for everybody and it will keep them busy and their minds removed from committing crimes,” he said.
The commissioner lauded the NCoS for organising the competition, adding that the competition had enlivened the centre and created a happy moment for all inmates.
Earlier, the Controller of Corrections in Enugu State, Mr Nicholas Obiakor, called for more support and provision of sporting facilities in all NCoS custodian facilities in the state.
Obiakor, who is also the Commander of NCoS Enugu State Command, noted that sports remained a veritable tool for reformation and transformation of inmates while ensuring that they add value to the society.
According to him, the competition has improved the social life and communication of inmates within themselves leading to healthy friendship devoid of crime and criminality.
“The command is appreciating the Controller-General (C-G) of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, for his vision of making sports a cardinal tool for the reform and total transformation of inmates.
“The C-G provided these sports facilities as a great avenue to transform our inmates to assets, mega sports stars and laurel winners for our country,” he said.
Speaking, the Officer in-charge of the Enugu Custodial Centre, Mr Sunday Oyakhire, noted that the competition has helped to improve the inmates’ physical and mental health.
Oyakhire, who is a Deputy Controller of Corrections, commended the C-G and Controller for providing sports facilities especially the custodial centre football pitch and other facilities that made the competition possible.
He said: “Today, we have witnessed electrifying moments and experienced the inmates engulfed in joy that have eluded some of them for sometime.
“The football competition was organised to further promote the reformation of inmates and allow them to experience the game they love playing despite being in the correctional centre.”
On the competition, it involved eight participating teams, which include: IDR Team, Convict Team, LKP Team, G and M Wards Team, F and J Wards Team, C Team, D Ward Team and N Ward Team.
The participating teams went through a round-robin format, and then D Ward Team and Convict Team emerged for the final.
In the final, D Ward Team defeated Convict Team by 3 – 0; all goals scored within the second half of the game.
LKP Team emerged as the best behaved team in the competition while the award of Best Player went to Endo Boat of D Ward Team.
