The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare has identified ways to deepen the democratic process and drive sustainable development in Nigeria.

Dare, who was the keynote speaker at the Senator Abiola Ajimobi Foundation roundtable held on Friday at the University of Ibadan, highlighted the reviving of the culture of public debate of ideologies and policies, investment in education and enlightenment and continuous improvement of our electoral laws among others, as practical steps that must taken to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the country.

His words: “Apart from having roundtable discussions and open fora on the subject matter such as this, there is the need to take very practical steps in growing our democracy in Nigeria.

“There must be the reviving of the culture of public debate of ideologies and policies in our country and eliminating toxicity, abuse and vulgarity especially at this time that the social media is helping the spread of negativity and increasingly making more people anti-Intellectual even in the universities.

“We have a challenge to find great minds of the past like Professors Aboyade Cole, Sam Aluko, Moses Akin-Makinde and Chief Obafemi Awolowo who wrote and formulated policies for the country.”

The Minister also tasked the Government, “to continue to invest in education and public enlightenment so that the mass of the people can know their roles, rights, duties and obligations in the democratic process.”

Dare said there must be the continuous improvement of the electoral laws in Nigeria to protect the ballot and make votes count during elections, praising President Muhammadu Buhari for the Electoral Law 2022, which he says has instilled more confidence of Nigerians in the electoral process while strengthening the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) as an institution.

He further called for an effective criminal justice system to deal with all electoral offenders.

“Our criminal justice system needs to be more alive to its responsibilities. Our judiciary and law enforcement agencies, especially the Police, must be able to stamp out violence and intimidation from our political space.

“There should be punishment for electoral offenders. The Election Offences Tribunals must be able to prosecute these offenders.

“We also need strong and viable political parties, who apart from being vehicles for political participations must play critical roles in deepening the democratic system and sustainable development through the propagation of their manifestos and public education of their programmes and government policies. Political parties must remain a public trust and be properly organised as such.”

The Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare then eulogised the late former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, describing him as a leader who loved his people and served them with honesty of purpose and with the determination to make positive impact on their lives.

“Some of the enduring legacies Senator Abiola Ajimobi has left us are the reforms in education, security and urban renewal.

“Without a doubt, we miss him greatly. If he was still here with us, our party, the All Peoples Congress(APC) would have been more vibrant, cohesive and viable,” Dare concluded.

The Premier University in Nigeria, University of Ibadan will be a beehive of activities this weekend as ex-footballers of the institution hold their 8th Annual Réunion.

According to the release signed by the President of the Association Edwin Evbie, the activities will commence on Thursday with a visit to the new Sports Director of the University, Mr. Kehinde Eyiomo.

On Friday, they will visit some ailing members of the Association resident in Ibadan, and some media houses also in Ibadan. The Vice Chancellor of the Premier University, Prof. Kayode Adebowale will receive the Executive and Board of Trustees members of the Association in his office at noon same day. The members of the Association will thereafter visit some selected motherless babies home in Ibadan as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Saturday 17th December will be the climax of the Reunion with a Novelty Match at the University of Ibadan Stadium, while dinner and get together party will be held at the Trenchard Hall of the University later that day.

The Association president, Edwin Evbie said several prominent ex-football players that have passed through the University including Mutiu Adepoju, Edith Agoye, Christian Obi, Dimeji Lawal, Folorunsho Okenla, Abiodun Salami, Dr. Robinson Okosun of NFF, Mogaji Barr Rotimi Ali and Prof. Segun Adekunle amongst others are expected to grace the event. He further disclosed that an ex Super Eagles star shall be making a guest appearance at this year’s event.

The much anticipated Schools4Chess Children Day Tournament organised on Children’s Day by Chess Academy Ibadan, ended in fanfare as Amao Group of Schools emerged victorious with 25.5 points carting away the gold trophy while Dayspring Schools and Top Rank Intellectual came second and third respectively.

Eleven schools including Dayspring Schools, B & B Int’l Schools, Top Rank Intellectual Academy, Amao Group of Schools, Positive Impact College, Dainty Oaks School, St Brigid’s Secondary School, Amaanah Integrated School, Divine Heritage School, and Orita-mefa Baptish Model School participated in the One-day tournament.

According to the organiser of the tournament, Ademola ‘Origa’ Bamigbelu, the main reason behind the tournament is to engaged the children as earlier as possible in the rudiment of the game of Chess which is an educational tools, will develop their thinking faculties and make them useful to the country.

“My intention on chess is to see as many children as possible get involved with chess as earlier as possible because this will not only make them grow up with great thinking abilities but, it will put the nation on a positive path. Great nations that are doing great exploit have their kids go through the process of expanding their reasoning earlier through many activities and chess is a major one.

“Chess is an educational tool, it helps in a tremendous way to the development of our kids and Nation. We appreciate those who have supported us including Alliance Française Ibadan, NASCO Group, and many others. We are looking forward to other event.

We had a wonderful edition in which we are not even sure of what it will look like , however, it was a scintillating program and we promise to make it an annual event.” Bamigbelu, who is a renowned photojournalist said.

Speaking further, Bamigbelu said for the children to have an avenue to learn the game, that is why he established the Chess Academy which offered them the opportunity to learn under a conducive environment.

“Chess Academy Ibadan runs teaching classes weekly and every Saturday at Alliance Française, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

We give them training the kids needed in a safe and conducive environment,” he added.

Also speaking at the tournament, Tiwalade Fatungase, Experiential Marketing manager of NASCO foods, said the reason the company is supporting the tournament is because of the educational quality of the programme and NASCO always associate with end programme that can develop our children.

“The tournament is a noble course and it’s educational. Anything that is educational, NASCO wants to be a part of that project because NASCO cornflakes is full of nourishment, vitamins for the kids which I believe will help them to develop their brains mentally and physically so that’s why we decided to partner with the project,” Fatungase said.

Speaking further, Fatungase said “It’s an eye opener, I want to believe this should be a yearly thing which I believe NASCO will also be a part of the project. It’s a nice thing, I was overwhelmed with the number of school children that I saw.

From age range of ten upward; I was amazed, it’s a noble cause and I want the organisers to make it a yearly thing so that other well Nigerians can partner.”

In the final medals table signed by the Tournament Director, Olabode Sofoluwe, in the primary school female category, Aishat Nurudeen of Dayspring School came first, Obafemi Vania of B&B School, second and Oyewale Blessing of Amao Group of Schools came third while in the male category, Oluwafunmire Ogunbayo of B&B Schools came first, Onatoyinbo Daniel of Top Rank Intellectual came second and Adebisi Emmanuel of Dayspring Schools came third.

In the secondary school female category, Folorunsho Imisioluwa of Positive Impact College came first, Bello Fatimat of Amao Group of Schools was second and Roqebat Taofeek of Dayspring Schools came third while in the male category, Sambo Joseph of St Brigid’s School came first, Oluwadamilare Solomon of Positive Impact College was second and Mufutau Waris of Dayspring Schools came third.

Following his Man-of-the-match performance in Shooting Stars’ 1-0 win over Niger Tornadoes on Sunday, Moses Omoduemuke has revealed a desire to keep winning the hearts of fans of the Oluyole Warriors.
Omoduemuke gave Shooting Stars the lead in the seventh minute when he received a pass from Isiaka Mutiu, shrugged off his marker before he expertly bent the ball beyond the reach of Tornadoes goalkeeper George Michael.
The former Rivers United attacker, who was voted the man of the match in 3SC’s previous home game against Enyimba, disclosed he yearns to become a fan favorite in Ibadan.
“I want to thank the fans because they already believe in me. So I want to repay them well. I want to do more for them,” Omoduemuke told www.npfl.ng.

“My target is not to come to 3SC and just be part of the squad. I want to score more goals. I want to influence more games and repay the fans’ trust,” he concluded.
Omoduemuke has now scored two goals and provided one assist since he joined Shooting Stars during the mid-season transfer window.

SHOOTING STARS XI
31 Ogundare Detan, 11 Chidera Ezeh, 13 Anaekwe Ebuka, 2 Isiaka Mutiu, 5 Adekunle Adeniyi, 15 Abbey Benson, 9 Emmanuel Lucky (Adejubu 71), 22 Gali Falke, 23 Omoduemuke Moses (Utibe 88′), 10 Uko Anietie (Raheem 60′), 24 Opeoluwa Olufemi (Malomo 60′)
SUBS33 Udo Okechukwu, 16 Amodu Nurudeen, 3 Omololu Waheed, 21 Raheem Nafiu, 35 Ewenike Achibi, 27 Adejubu Ayo, 28 Malomo Taofeeq, 26 Archibong Utibe, 17 Sochima Elum

GOAL: Moses Omoduemuke 7′
YELLOW CARD: Ebuka Anaekwe 29′
RED CARD: NIL

NIGER TORNADOES XI #SHOTOR
George Michael 35, Adeyinka Najeem Jnr 3 (Jimmy 48′), Gabriel Wassa 22, Ifeanyi Okoye 14, Sunday Akinmoladun 5, Abiodun Adebayo 26, Munir Idris 15, Chinedu Ufere 8 (Hashim 48′), Emmanuel Jonas 18, Ahmadu Liman 10, Lukman Mohammed 21 (Danjuma 79′)
SUBSYinka David 1, Bolaji Adeyemo 4, Shamsudeen Hashim 7, Masud Danjuma 16, Jimmy Abdul 32, Abdurazak Yusuf 27, Nurudeen Jimoh 19, Abdullahi Yusuf 33 
GOAL: NIL
YELLOW CARD: Chinedu Ufere 39′
RED CARD: NIL

From Moshood Abiola to Daura, Lagos National Stadium and now Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Sunday Dare can’t stop working.

Are you one of those that thought his tenure is fast winding up and he will be more concerned about what tomorrow holds for him? If yes, you better start having a rethink as Nigeria Youth and Sports minister, Sunday Dare is unrelenting in his passionate drive to accomplish all his set objectives.

Last week, he embarked on a tour of the NYSC Radio and praised the brains behind this laudable project for creating another major job opportunity for Nigeria youths.

A few days later, he was in Delta state, where he praised the organizers of the fast approaching National sports festival, Delta 2022, for working ahead of time for the games. He was particularly impressed with the state of sporting facilities already completed ahead.of the games.

And just when you think it is a new week and he should be strategizing on what to do next, the nation woke up to yet another surprise.

After the successful renovation of the Moshood Abiola stadium Abuja, the excellent work at the Daura stadium in Katsina state and the brilliant updates from the National stadium in Lagos, the Oyo state born administrator has moved his renovation adventure to Ibadan the Oyo state capital where work is ongoing at the Obafemi Awolowo stadium.

After a see it yourself tour of the facility, Dare expressed satisfaction with what is on ground and has promised to give this one his full concentration and support before the expiration of his tenure.

In the last 28 years of the Sports ministry, past sports ministers have struggled in vain to renovate one of these edifice, that had gone moribund due to lack of maintenance and have failed woefully but in just over three years, Dare has come, he has seen, he has promised and has delivered.

Minister of Youth and sports Development Mr Sunday Dare has reiterated the need to have more youth trained in digital skills in order to adress the problem of employment.
The Minister made this assertion at the 2021 Annual Luncheon of Government College, Ibadan, Old Boys Association (GCIOBA) held in Ibadan on Sunday.

The Minister who spoke on Digital Literacy, a Panacea for Youth Unemployment, emphasized the need for improved digital education especially among the youths.
According to him, “There have been focused efforts to close the digital skills gap through a number of digital
capacity building initiatives. Some are ongoing as we speak . Also, ongoing
is the implementation of the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund. Mr President
listened to our arguments about the need to make our Youth develop their Enterprenuership spirit. Despite the
competing needs for resources, the President approved the establishment of the first Youth
Investment Fund ever put in place in Nigeria: N 75 B released over three years.
N25B per annum for three years at 5%, moratorium, capacity building, no
guarantor. The first tranche has been disbursed to applicants across the country
and the second tranche is about to commence. This is what is called putting our
money where our Youths are.”

He further stated ” It is worthy to note that the importance of Digital Literacy to employability is that
it a necessity to succeed in modern economy. Having the basic digital literacy
skills can enhance the employability of individuals. Most jobs require digital
literacy. In Nigeria, with the high level of youth unemployment, a youth skilled
in basic and intermediate digital skills is more likely to access jobs locally and globally. Opportunities such as outsourcing, digital marketing, software
development, artificial Intelligence, data analysis, IT administration and many
others are job-creating opportunities”.

Speaking On the DEEL initiative, he affirmed
“The DEEL initiative is designed to unleash the potential of youth
and to leverage on the youth bulge as a demographic dividend by providing
opportunities for investment in youth innovation and energies through a
coordinated mechanism that will deliver cross cutting benefit”.

He highlighted the objectives of DEEL to include; Deliver basic, mid-level and advanced digital skills training for 1 million youth annually; facilitate at least 50,000, start-ups in the ICT sector
annually; upskill youth with digital skills for leverage through digital
solutions in key sectors such as agriculture, power, health, manufacturing,
renewable energy and services. In addition, DEEL will enhance employability of
at least 50,000 youth annually from 2021-2023 through paid internships”.

He added “The Ministry’s DEEL programme got Nigerian youth engaged through
Digital Skills, which included Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training for
500,000 young people. It is also targeting mobile device training for 100,000
youth, aside from the Work Experience Programme (WEP) – internship
opportunities for three months for 5,000 youth. Digital Youth Nigeria (DY.ng)
exposes participants to standard training sessions on global digital roles like
Business Process Outsourcing skills, Software and Coding skills, Animation,
Graphics skills, Internet of Things (IoT), IT hardware skills. The essence is to
grow our abilities in digital services, in view of the increasing realities of remote
living, augmented reality and hypertext documents.”

He concluded by saying “It is important to note that increased investment in youth by
the Government, the private sector and development partners is the major path to
ensure that Nigeria is able to harness the advantage of technology to reposition
the economy. The opportunities abound, but we must keep the focus, just like the
Government College, Ibadan, Old Boys Association (GCIOBA), is doing. We
will not rest on our oars in providing quality leadership for not only the youth of
our dear nation, but for the entire citizenry in line with the vision of President
Mohammadu Buhari’s administration”.

Signed
Media office of the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development

… CONGRATULATES IFA CHAIRMAN

The Ex University of Ibadan Footballers Association (EXUIFA), has inaugurated its new Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, while also congratulating the Chairman of the Ibadan Football Association (IFA), Barrister Rotimi Alli aka Libero, on his Award as The Most influential Sports Personality (Sports category) in Oyo State and special recognition for sports development in Ibadan land for the year 2020.

At a ceremony held at The New Stadium Complex of the University of Ibadan during it’s 6th World Reunion held in December, the Association Inaugurated new executive members led by Edwin Evbie as President. Other Exco members include Vita Odozor (VP), Lawrence Osuagwu (Gen.Sec), Olasoji Ilori (Asst.Gen. Sec), Henry Duru (PRO/Social Secretary) and Folajimi Oriogun (Fin.Sec.).

Also inaugurated is the BOT led by Mogaji (Prof) Olusegun Adekunle as Chairman, Mr. Festus Adegoju (CAF Licence A coach as Vice Chairman), Mr.Patrick Ngwaogu (Abia Warriors Sporting Director, as Secretary), Dr. Abiodun Salami (Director of Sports,UI), Dr. Robinson Okosun (NFF Psychologist), Mr.Adebayo Gbadebo (Premier League Coach, Thailand), Barr Rotimi Ali (Chairman, Ibadan FA) and Barr.Kolade Oladokun (Canada).

The new Executive members and Board of Trustees were sworn into Office by Barrister Kola Majaro in the presence of a cheering crowd of ex footballers who turned out for the annual reunion. Both the new Executive members and Board of Trustees have a four (4) year term and are expected to take the Association to the desired great heights.

Also, the Association has congratulated it’s Board of Trustee member, Barrister Rotimi Alli on his recent awards.

In a statement released by the Public Relations Officer of the EXUIFA, Mr Henry Duru, the Association congratulated Barrister Rotimi Alli on his laudable achievements and wished him more success in his desire to take football in Oyo State to greater heights. According to the release, ‘Barr. Ali’s passion for Football is unparalleled and this he has used to great advantage as an Administrator, reviving the once revered IFA League, renovating the Olubadan Stadium in Ibadan and generally promoting Grassroots Football development in Ibadan nay Oyo State’.