(From Nicholas Obisike, NAN)
Manfred Nzekwe, the Enugu State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, has inaugurated a 10-man Baseball And Softball Association Board in Enugu.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the Ministry, Dan Onwuegbuna. who announced this in a statement on Sunday, said that the inauguration took place on Friday.
Onwuegbuna quoted the Commissioner as assuring the newly inaugurated Board of the state government’s support to establish and develop the game in the state.
The Commissioner said he was delighted to have the honour of inaugurating the Board, given that the game is new to Enugu State, noting that the presence of the National President and other members of the federation at the inauguration, indicated their readiness to not only introduce the game in Enugu but also develop it.
William Boyd, National President, Baseball and Softball Association, expressed happiness at the commitment and passion of members of the Association towards developing the game in Enugu State.
Boyd, a former secretary of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, urged the Board to do its best to establish and develop the game.
”I know, there are going to be difficulties in establishing the game, but with the calibre of men on this board, you can go places.
”The game of baseball and softball is a game that makes one prominent from an early age. One can start earning at an early age, once a person is being discovered at the age of four years, but before the age of 12, the person will be made.
”This is a game that will give our youths room to enjoy sports and self-employment, it needs to be taken seriously,” he said.
The Chairman of the association, Mr Christian Chukwuojindu, said that he was happy that the game had come to stay in the state, adding that the game would soon be introduced to the people so that within a short period of time the state would have players that can feature in any competition in the country.
