CSR: Sport centre will aid talents discovery, remove miscreants
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command, has introduced a new sports facility in Coconut Community, Apapa, as a practical intervention to engage youths, discover talents and reduce social vices in the area.
The facility, named Wale Adeniyi Sports Arena, was will be donated to the community as part of the Command’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and is expected to serve as a safe space for recreation, skill development and community bonding.
Speaking during the test-run of the arena in Lagos, the Comptroller of the Western Marine Command, Mr Patrick Ntadi, said the project was conceived to keep children and youths productively engaged and off the streets.
Ntadi explained that the facility was designed to provide residents with a structured environment where they could participate in sports, expend energy positively and return home fulfilled, thereby discouraging involvement in crime and drug abuse.
He said the test run included a novelty football match between the Nigeria Customs Service and Maritime Workers, which ended in a 5–5 draw, as well as basketball games featuring secondary school students who had won awards at inter-school competitions.
According to him, the performance of the young athletes, especially the female basketball players, showed focus, discipline and promise, giving confidence that the arena would help nurture future champions at national and international levels.
Ntadi said the Command plans to organise regular sporting activities involving registered community teams, adding that registration would be free while Customs would oversee the facility to protect the infrastructure and ensure orderliness.
He said the site was formerly a ghetto and informal market plagued by miscreants and drug-related activities.
Ntadì noted that transforming the area into a sports arena was a deliberate strategy to prevent a return to its former state.
He commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for promoting CSR initiatives across commands, adding that the programme had enabled Customs to positively impact lives beyond its core mandate.
The test-run attracted community members, traders, passers-by and stakeholders, who watched and participated in various games including table tennis, football and basketball.
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