By Raphael Ekpang
A former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye on Sunday called on the federal government to show orphans in the country love through the development of orphanage sports.
Melaye made the call in Abuja, at the end of a three-day Orphanage Homes Sports Festival Nigeria (OHSFN) organized by the Challenged Children Charity Foundation (3CF) for orphans in Nigeria.
He said, the development of the orphanage sports would enable the orphans all over the country 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 suppose to be their father and mother.” Melaye said,
“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 further said, the country’s sports would be the beneficiary if talents from the various orphanages in the country could be properly harnessed.
“I didn’t believe that these talents can come from the orphanages. Amongst you by the grace of God, we will see people that will beat the record of Rashidi Yekini; amongst you, we will see Presidents and first ladies,’’ he added.
Mrs Ugonna Uzor-Kalu, organiser of the sports festival said the event was initiated to create sports men and women for the country.
She said the sports fiesta would also serve as a medium for empowering the young ones in sports and other skills, thereby calling on cooperate organizations to identify with them in a bit to give life to these liveless.
“I urge individual and cooperate organisations to do more in affecting positively the lives of the less privilege,’’ Ugonna said.
Newsdiaryonline reports that the South-South geo-political zone represented by Edo State won the football trophy to emerge the overall winners of the sports festival.
The Edo team defeated their North-East counterparts represented by Kaduna, 4-1 on penalties after they played goalless in regulation time.
Meanwhile, North-Central represented by Abuja, finished second with 156 points trailing behind Edo with 174 points.
Kaduna State, representing North-East placed third in the festival with 134 points, while North-West, represented by Bauchi and Yobe ended on 116 points to finish fourth.
South-West zone finished the festival on fifth position having garnered 70 points, while South-East which did not have any representation, placed sixth with zero point.