A former member of the
House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, called on the Federal Government to show orphans love by developing orphanage sports in the country.
He made the call in Abuja at the end of a three-day Orphanage Homes Sports Festival Nigeria (OHSFN), organised by the Challenged Children Charity Foundation (3CF) for orphans in Nigeria.
Melaye said that the development of orphanage sports would enable orphans all over the country to have a sense of belonging.
“What the organisers of this game have done is what government should have done.
“This period is very emotional for me because these are kids that don’t have mother and father; in a responsible society, government is supposed to be their father and mother.
“This is an opportunity to call on the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to become `born again’ because this is actually the responsibility of government,’’ he said.
Melaye said that the country’s sports sector would be the major beneficiary of such games, as the talents from the various orphanages across the country would be properly harnessed.
“I didn’t believe that these talents can come from orphanages.
“Amongst you, by the grace of God, we will see people that will beat the record of ace footballer Rashidi Yekini; amongst you, we will see presidents and first ladies.
“In your midst, we will have senators, House of Reps. members, pastors and imams.
“We are going to convince all the multinationals that are spending money on frivolities that this is where they need to invest their money,’’ he added.
The organiser of the sports festival, Mrs Ugonna Uzor-Kalu, said that the event was initiated to create sports men and women for the country.
She said that the sports fiesta would also serve as a medium for empowering the young ones in sports and other skills.
“I see this event as an opening door for this target population; this maiden edition is a stepping stone.
“I urge individuals and corporate organisations to do more in affecting the lives of the less-privileged positively,” Ugonna said.
South-South geo-political zone, represented by Edo, won the football trophy and emerged as the overall winners of the sports festival.
The Edo team defeated their North-East counterparts from Kaduna State 4-1 on penalties, after a goalless draw in regulation time.
North-Central zone, represented by the FCT, finished second with 156 points trailing behind Edo with 174 points.
Kaduna State, representing the North-East zone placed third in the festival with 134 points, while the North-West zone, represented by Bauchi and Yobe ended on 116 points to finish fourth.
The South-West zone won the fifth position with garnered 70 points, while the South-East, which did not have any representation, placed sixth with zero point.