The Abia State Government has announced a partnership with Spanish football league LaLiga and the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria to empower young people through sports development and talent-building initiatives scheduled for November and December 2026.

The programme, tagged “LaLiga Week in Abia State”, will feature sporting activities and engagements aimed at developing local talent, improving skills and creating opportunities for young people to connect with the international sports community.

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The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed the initiative on Monday in Umuahia while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.

Kanu described the programme as one of the state government’s strategies for empowering young people through sports.

He said the activities would be organised in collaboration with LaLiga and the Spanish Embassy, with the aim of expanding opportunities for young people across the state.

The initiative is expected to provide a platform for local talent development while strengthening cooperation between Abia State and international sports organisations.

In a separate development, Kanu said the Abia State Ministry of Youths and Sports had visited correctional centres in Aba and Umuahia as part of its welfare and rehabilitation agenda.

According to the commissioner, the visits were intended to assess the legal, medical and welfare needs of inmates, alongside the challenges affecting rehabilitation programmes.

He disclosed that the outreach identified 20 inmates requiring various forms of assistance, including legal aid, board assistance, medical attention and family support.

The inmates were being prepared for pre-school and non-residential certificate examinations, although the commissioner did not provide further details about the specific examinations or the support arrangements.

Kanu added that the assessment also identified shortages of tools, equipment and materials needed to make skills acquisition programmes more effective.

The findings, he said, highlighted areas requiring additional support to strengthen rehabilitation and vocational training for inmates.

The commissioner also announced plans to distribute approximately 3,003,250 insecticide-treated mosquito nets across Abia State under the 2026 Abia Mass Insecticide-Treated Net Campaign.

The campaign was scheduled for formal launch on Friday, according to Kanu.

He said the exercise was being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the Abia State Ministry of Health.

The distribution is intended to support malaria prevention efforts and expand access to protective mosquito nets among residents across the state.

Kanu further disclosed that construction had commenced on two road projects in Aba as part of the Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development Project.

The roads are Old Express Road, measuring 3.955 kilometres, and Urata Road, which spans 3.09 kilometres.

According to the commissioner, work started at both locations before the formal flag-off ceremonies.

He said the projects were among the infrastructure interventions being supported through the programme, adding that more roads backed by the African Development Bank (ADB) would be flagged off in due course.

Kanu also reported that work was ongoing at 53 direct labour locations across the state.

The government said the road projects formed part of broader infrastructure development efforts intended to improve road access and support economic activity.

The planned LaLiga Week adds an international sports component to the state government’s initiatives in youth development, alongside vocational rehabilitation and infrastructure projects.

By partnering with LaLiga and the Spanish Embassy, the state aims to use sports as a platform for talent development and broader opportunities for young people.

Further details about the programme’s participating teams, training sessions, venues and registration arrangements were not provided in the announcement.