A retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Udom Ekpoudom, on Wednesday called for a deliberate sports policy that will engage youths at all times to reduce youth restiveness across the country.

Ekpoudom, Proprietor, Tower of Ivory Schools, Ediene Abak, Akwa Ibom, made the call after conducting members of the state chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) on sports facilities tour in the school.

He urged the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development at the federal and state levels, to consider the formulation and implementation of such policy as necessary and urgent to, stem the tide of youth restiveness.

The retired DIG said that with such a policy in place, youths would be guided on how to deploy their time to gainful engagement, thereby reducing their involvement in criminal activities.

He said that his love for sports development in the school stemmed from the fact that sports engaged students’ minds and intellect, thereby diverting their attention from social vices.

Ekpoudom said his passion for sports could not be compromised, hence his determination to provide sports facilities in the school, knowing that the sector was so lucrative this time around.

According to him, one of the driving forces behind his building the sports infrastructure is to sharpen the intellectual capacities of the students and pupils.

“I love my state and will always indulge in anything that will promote the development of my state. I ventured into schools because I intend to support the growth of education in my state.

“Today, we are building sports infrastructure as a deliberate attempt to leverage the love for sports to sharpen the intellectual capacities of our students and pupils.

“These facilities on the ground are meant to properly train the youths to be the leaders of tomorrow. The students must develop themselves academically and in sports,” Ekpoudom said.

The retired deputy inspector general of police expressed displeasure that some politicians were using the youths only for election purposes instead of engaging them in sports activities.

Earlier in his remarks, the ASWAN Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Akpan, said the tour became necessary to afford members the opportunity to witness first-hand, the conscious efforts made by the school towards sports development.

“We have heard the story of the renaissance of sports infrastructure in your school and we are here to witness it first-hand.

“As sportswriters, we are committed to the development and promotion of sports and it behooves on us to report such development to the general public wherever it takes place,” Akpan said.

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The sports infrastructure provided in the school included a 500-seater stadium with a standard naturally-grassed football field as well as modern basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts.

Others are a long jump pitch, a fully-furnished squash court, a standard swimming pool, two badminton courts, and a standard indoor sports hall.