Presenting the achievements today during the International Press Briefing held at the National Press Centre, Abuja, Dare stated that his Ministry has
the mandate to promote the physical, mental and socio- economic development of the youth, constituting the largest demographic composition representing 65% of our population.

He stated that, under the present Administration, the Sports and Youth sector has witnessed tremendous turn around through the implementation of well-thought out initiatives, programmes and policies targeted not only at empowering our youth but also moving sports away from mere recreation to business. This he said, was with a view to contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.

While describing the youth as the strength and future of our nation, Dare observed that “fixing them is fixing the country” and that was why he added, that the present Administration embarked on empowering them through the acquisition of various skills to make them enterpreneurial, employable as well as employers of labour. Stating further that so far, a total of 432,812 youth have benefited from the various training programmes which
include Cyber Security, Web Development, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Coding, among others

This, he noted, became realisable through its Digital Skills Acquisition, Enterpreneurship, Employability, Leadership and Mentorship (DEEL) programme in collaboration with other development partners.

The Minister explained that, in order to provide access to funds to empower the teeming Nigerian Youth, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration committed N75 billion to National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF). Of this amount he said, 26,000 applicants have so far accessed N10bn out of the fund while the next trench of N10bn is slated for disbursement in January 2023.

He said that the present Administration also boosted the commitment of graduates during the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), through the increment of their allowances from N19,800 to N33,000 from January 2020.

On the Sports Sector, Dare informed that, it has also witnessed a massive face-lift through its Initiatives/Projects such as Adopt-an-Athlete, Pitch, Sports, Talent Hunt Programme as well as Welfare Fund for Athletes which had led to various sponsorship opportunities for them, thus leading to the numerous medals being harvested in different competitions within and outside the country.

He noted that the Administration was able to revive the National Principals’ Cup, OSOM Games, National Youth Games as well as the National Sports Festival which is a forum for the discovery of talents.

The Minister emphasised that, the present Administration, in recognition of the sterling performance of our athletes at the Commonweath Games hosted them to a Presidential Reception and gifted them a cash award of Two hundred million naira, including National Honours.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated that the event which was launched on October 19, 2022 is the 14th Edition in the Administration’s Scorecard Series

He stated that the programme was organised by the Ministry to avail the public of the numerous achievements recorded by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government since the inception of the present Administration till date.

Signed
Mohammed Manga
Director, Press and Public Relations
December 20, 2021

Incentives for Private Sector Outlined in Document

The Federal Executive Council has approved the National Sports Industry Policy(NSIP) proposed to it by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

This approval was given during its meeting on Wednesday, bringing to a positive end the efforts of the Sports Ministry under the headship of Minister Sunday Dare to get the policy document in place for the administration of sports in the country.

Some of the approved incentives as outlined in the policy document include;

A) Tax exemption and rebate for a period of 5 years for investors in the value chain of sports.

B) Land provision and waiver for certain fees on lands meant for sports.

C) Single digit loan interest rates for corporate organisations and private individuals investing in the sports value chain.

D) Independent Government Grant through the establishment of an Independent Athletes Welfare Fund(AWF)from which athletes representing the country can draw support for education and training.

E) Application of the Renovate Operate Transfer(ROT), Build Operate and Transfer(BOT), Integrated National Financial Framework(INFF), Nigeria Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan(NIIMP) or any other innovative PPP financing model for the provision, rehabilitation of sports facilities in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

F) Full operationalisation and enforcement of the sports Code of Governance.

The Policy outlines an effective means of improving the funding of sports, delineating the obligations of the different tiers of government, the participation of the private sector and other stakeholders in sports.

The thrust areas of the National Sports Industry Policy(NSIP) are as follows;

Federations and athletes’ development, education, health, capacity development and training, inclusivity and social development in the community, provision of facilities and infrastructure, economic development, legislative environment and international relations, funding, finance and investment for sports and the digital economy.

Only recently, the Federal Government reclassified sports as business, and not mere recreation, to birth the vision of the Policy in ensuring that sports play a prominent role as an instrument of national unity, cohesion; promoting health and fitness through mass participation; and contributing to economic development and global recognition.

In the coming weeks, the Finance Ministry and relevant financial agencies will meet to work out specific details of the incentives.

• Youth Ministry, Halogen Splashes N1m Reward On Top 10 Cyber Security Trainees .

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has stated that the challenge of youth bulge across the African continent has made it imperative for Governments to do more for youth development and empowerment.

Speaking as the Chief Host at the National Youth Day and African Youth Day celebration tagged ‘Breaking The Barriers to Meaningful Youth Participation and Inclusion In Advocacy’, the Minister cited the various empowerment programmes and the ‘Not too Young To Run’ Bill assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari as part of measures that has enhanced economic and political inclusion for Nigeria’s teeming youth.

According to Dare, “The N-power programme, an integral part of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which has empowered and upskilled over 1m Youth is regarded as the most ambitious social protection programme in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Closely following that is the N75bn National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the very first of its kind in our country, approved by the President, two years ago, which has provided credit to over 20,000 young people with the numbers being scaled up to over 31,000 shortly.

“With these NYIF beneficiaries receiving between N250,000 to N3m, Government is investing in their ideas, investing in their small, micro and medium enterprises which will turn them to creators of wealth, employers of labour and also those that can contribute to the GDP of our country.

“But also, we must speak to the political will. Almost three years ago, President Buhari signed the ‘Not too Young To Run’ Bill. That Bill, now an Act of the National Assembly, strikes at the heart of inclusivity at the political level. In about three years, we have seen the number of our youth in elective offices from the local to national level on the rise. We believe that our youth must tap into this opportunity as we move into another election year to become part of the process,” the Minister emphasised.

Throwing more light on efforts to address the youth bulge in Nigeria, Dare revealed a problem of skill and certificate mismatch in relation to available jobs in the country.

“A very telling example is the issue of cyber security experts. We found out at the Ministry that over 350,000 jobs were available for young cyber security experts. In order to tap into this for the benefit of our youth, we went into partnership with Halogen to train 31,000 youth, some of who will be rewarded today for coming out tops and performing excellently in the cyber security training programmes,” the Minister stated.

The highlight of the event was the symbolic presentation of cheques and announcement of N1m cash reward each for 10 youth who scored 100% at the Halogen cyber security training.

The Minister also announced the plan to further partner with Halogen to train 250,000 more youth in the next six months.

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare on Friday received
the Excellence in Public Service Award from the Federal Government.

The award that was in recognition of his excellent contributions and commitment to the growth and development of sports in the country especially in the area of infrastructure development was presented by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister dedicated the award to his team, praising them for their commitment to his vision.

“This is not a personal award for me. It is for my team, the Permanent Secretary, Directors, my aides and all those working with me in the Ministry.

“Without their hardwork and commitment to this cause, this award would not happen. So this is for them all.

“It is a call for us to do more. So we will not slow down, the remaining months I have left in office is for more hard work.” He said.

Apart from ensuring the best podium finishes for Team Nigeria in recent international competitions, Sports Minister Sunday Dare has initiated programmes that have led to the rehabilitation of some of the nation’s sports edifices which had been neglected before his assumption of office in 2019.

For his tremendous job in revolutionize sports in Nigeria, Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare will be honored with the award of excellence in public service.

Mr. Dare who has been nominated by the Federal Government among other outstanding Nigerians who has distinguished themselves as a public servants will be decorated with the highest honor in the sector tagged Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NESPS)

According to release by Media Aide to the minister, Kola Adeyanju, Mr. Dare will be decorated with the award by President Muhammadu Buhari on 21st October, 2022 by 10am at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.

Adeyanju added that there will be a forum for questions and answer with the Honourable Minister after the events .

Mr. Dare, since assumed office as Minister of Youth and Sports has introduced a lots of reforms that has helped to improve sports development in Nigeria.

He will also be remembered as the most successful sports minister in Nigeria with recent successes achieved by Team Nigeria at various international engagements.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja approved National Honours and cash awards of N200 million for Team Nigeria contingents to the 2022 Commonwealth Games and World Athletics championships.

Speaking at a presidential reception in honour of the athletes, the President said his Government is committed to rewarding excellence, no less for members of Team Nigeria who ignited the spirit of victory in the nation through stellar performances at international competitions.

Congratulating all the awardees and recipients, he expressed confidence that this will spur them to greater heights.

The President who described the athletes as champions, worthy ambassadors, national heroes and heroines, heaped praises on them for proudly flying the Nigerian flag in nine sporting events.

”I watched with millions of Nigerians those exciting moments when you all brought smiles to us and our homes by breaking world, national and games records, as well as achieving personal best in your careers.

”Your outstanding performances in recent times are consistent with the determination of a nation always yearning for excellent performance.

”You all, members of Team Nigeria have ignited the spirit for victory in our nation but even more you have been victorious in major sporting championships and games.

”I have followed keenly your achievements at the World Championships in Oregon USA and indeed your remarkable performance at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

”And I am very pleased that you displayed at both the personal and group levels great sporting talents and delivered for your country great podium performances,” he said.

The President told the athletes that their hour of sporting glory beamed the ‘‘radar of the world on Nigeria’’, adding that their exploits have gone a long way in projecting the positive image of the country.

”Twelve times the world stood still as our green, white green national flag was hoisted and the National Anthem recited. Thirty-five times we made it to the podium. You all Team Nigeria made that possible.

”You brought glory and honour to our country. And today, on behalf of the nation- I say, THANK YOU!”

President Buhari called out the names of the gold winners and other medal winners including the world champion in the 100m hurdles, Tobiloba Amusan, Ese Brume, Blessing Oborodudu , Oluwafemiayo Folashade, Taiwo Liadi, Ikechukwu Obichukwu, Bose Omolayo, Favour Ofili, Nasiru Sule, Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi, Ebikewenimo Welson, Hannah Rueben and Elizabeth Oshoba.

Reiterating the commitment of this administration in providing the enabling environment for youths to ascend to the pinnacle of their chosen careers, the President expressed satisfaction with the impact the Adopt-An-Athlete Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports had on the performance of athletes.

He urged more private individuals and corporate organizations to support government’s investment in sports, which has been reclassified from being a recreational activity to being a business in line with modern practices worldwide.

President Buhari also acknowledged the many giant strides witnessed in the sports sector under the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare and his team, commending the numerous and sustained successes recorded in the last few years.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development described 2022 as an outstanding year in the history of Nigerian sports, which shall not be forgotten in a hurry.

According to him, it is a year where many Sporting Federations have surpassed and are surpassing their previous performances, while many athletic records were broken.

Highlighting the most remarkable feats, Dare said in track and field, Amusan in a span of 4 months won Nigeria’s first ever gold medal in World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA with a world record performance in an event highly dominated by the Americans and Europeans.

She also successfully defended her Commonwealth Games title, which she won in 2018 in Gold Coast, with a games record in 2022 in Birmingham; and Diamond League title in Zurich, Switzerland on September 8, 2022, the Minister said, adding that this remarkable performance has never been achieved by any Nigerian in the history of our sports.

Further, the Minister said Brume, another trailblazer in Nigerian sports, won silver medal in the Women’s Long Jump event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a games record performance.

Dare recalled that the first time Nigeria won a medal in wrestling at the Olympic Games since 1952, was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by Oborodudu, who clinched a silver medal to the admiration of the entire globe.

”In confirming that the performance was not a fluke, she won a gold medal in the Women’s 68 kg category at the just concluded 2022 Commonwealth Games, ” he said.

Describing Nigeria as the best Para Powerlifting nation in the world, the Minister hailed Oluwafemiayo for keeping with this tradition by winning gold medal in the Women’s heavyweight category, setting a new world record in that class at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

”Mr. President, through the sporting exploits and excellence of the young athletes before you in this hall and several others not able to make it for this reception, Nigeria has served notice that it will not relent.

”That it will show up and compete for every laurel available not only in sports but in youth development, economic progress, social emancipation, political development and many more,” he said.

The Minister thanked the President for being a great source of encouragement and support to the teeming youth in sports and other areas, saying ”this administration’s investment in youth and sports development, will continue to yield dividends years after you might have completed your term as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He also commended some well-meaning Nigerians and sports philanthropists for keying into several initiatives of the Ministry on sports development.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

September 15, 2022

Captain of Nigeria’s senior national football team, Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa has lend his voice on how President Muhammadu Buhari led APC government is handling the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

Musa who will be the latest celebrities to expressed opinion along other stakeholders who have knocked the Federal Government and President Buhari over the prolonged shutdown of academic activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Onwardnews24.com can confirm that today (Tueaday) makes it 147 days the strike was declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities with no meaning steps taking by government to end it.

Ahmed Musa who ply his trade with the Turkish side, Fatih Karagümrük forward has lambasted those managing the affairs of the country for being selfish and lack concern for a common man.

He wrote on Social Media (Instagram) on Tuesday saying: “To all our political office holders whose children school abroad.”

“How do you feel visiting your children abroad, taking pictures in their schools and posting online while ASUU is on strike?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6HDcajzAf/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

“Like seriously, how it okay to you? You are running a system that you don’t believe in.”

“Show me one Oyibo leader whose child is schooling in Nigeria. E no dey touch una?

President Buhari has recently expressed concern  over the strike and asked for a lasting solution to put an end to it.

I am not against Pinnick’s ambition though he has never told me that he is contesting but I have listened to interview where he said he is not contesting,so on the basis of that I am saying the right thing should be done.
there has been so much crisis over the years and that necessitated President Buhari insisting that an election should be held in on or before September with major stakeholders being carried along to forestall any recurrence of what we had in the past’

‘we have done our part as government institution but now it is now left for NFF congress to decide their faith ‘ he concluded

President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare will depart Nigeria tonight for Portugal to sign bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on sports .

The MoU will be signed with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa appending their support.

This MoU is coming on the heels of recent agreements signed with Spain which borders on Sports, Criminal Matters, Extradition and Transfer of Sentenced persons.

However, this MoU with Portugal is slightly different because it bothers only on creating mutualism in sports; which will see exchange of technical-know-how, sporting equipment support for athletics and football development.

This is seventh bilateral Agreement facilitated by Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare since assuming office in 2019.

The Sports Ministry under Dare signed an MoU with South Africa on Youth Dialogue and development, an event that was also attended by Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari and the Executive President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Also Nigeria Ministry of Sports, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkey on youth and sports development in the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

Recently, Hon. Sunday Dare was in Spain, alongside President Muhammadu Buhari where the country also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Spain in the Spanish Capital city of Madrid and the lastest of a long list of mutually beneficial relationships is the visit to Portugal, which would open another chapter of bi-lateral relationship between Nigeria and Portugal in areas of youth and sports development.

When all parties meet at the crossroads, the Nigerian football ecosystem must face some hard questions head-on. The subject of infrastructure will continue to dominate the fore of discussion when Nigeria football is juxtaposed with its contemporaries in the beautiful game.

When one looks in hindsight, the Nigerian Football Federation has not given Nigeria even a single football pitch as a federation. The trend is recent times has been such that the NFF shops the Super Eagles around states governors, delivering the team to the highest bidders, so as to make money for onward self aggrandizement.

Since the assumption of Sunday Dare into office as the country’s Sports Minister, the Ministry has fixed a number of Stadium across the country, from Lagos, to Abuja, to Daura.

It would have been good wisdom if the NFF showed interest in picking up and caring for at least of the many pitches across the country, for utilization by the national teams.
The Football Federation have instead distanced themselves from the talks of football infrastructure in the country, while the Ministry as being continues to invest efforts in it.

The only two on-going stadium projects for football are domiciled in the hometowns of the two leaders of the NFF, perhaps in a smirking move of selfishness.
One can only wonder what usually happens to all the developmental funds FIFA and CAF continually pours in the Federation over the years. One would struggle to find a worthy infrastructural value addition from the Federation.

Sunday Dare will perhaps go down as one of the most cooperative, open and collaborative minister. For every decision, it is discussed with the NFF towards ensuring best choices are made. From Amaju Pinnick to Mohammed Sanusi and others, they have seen having briefs with the minister on numerous occasions.