On August 21, 2019, Chief Sunday Akin Dare was assigned constitutional portfolio of the ministry of Youth and Sports Development to oversee.
As the Sports Minister marks his three years in office today, August 21, 2022, the President, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF, Dr Abdul Ibrahim has joined millions of Nigeria sports fraternity to celebrate a man that has great passion for his works
In a statement issued in Abuja and personally signed by the Weightlifting boss, Dr Abdul lauded the many giant strides sports have recorded under the minister for the past three years noting that he has demonstrated leadership credibility and sanguine personality in overseeing the affairs of sports in the country which have fetched her laurels globally.
“The Sports Minister, Chief Sunday Akin Dare, is one of the best ministers in the history of sports in this country. You can see from the outcome of the Commonwealth Games, in collaboration with the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, that we have not achieved such feat as we recorded in Birmingham for a very long time.
“When he came into office, he was able to get things done. There are people who have grace and this minister has grace. He does not only believe in God, he also puts team work and every apparatus in place to achieve what he wants.
“The last three years have been historic in our sports. He has demonstrated pragmatic leadership in turning around our fortunes in sports. His leadership credibility and capacities are endearing.
“However, there are teething problems here and there but that is expected in a large family as we have in sports. He has been able to find solutions to lingering issues and repositioned Nigeria sports on the path for greater glory.
“He has a dream of what he wants to accomplish and he is gradually getting towards the end of it; he has done very well.”
Chief Sunday Akin Dare’s achievements and successes in Nigeria sports in the last three years are legendary.
After assuming office on 21st August, 2019, Chief Dare’s first major assignment was participation in that years Africa Games in Morocco where Team Nigeria came second in the overall table with 127 medals.
Despite the global coronavirus pandemic that disrupted socio-economic activities occasioned by months of national lockdown in the year 2020, the Minister rose above the wind to galvernise support for Nigeria sports. He ensured the hosting of the 2020 National sports Festival, NSF in Edo which held in 2021 after several postponements due to COVID-19 as well as the National Youth Games in Illorin.
The Adopt-an-Athlete initiative, that many Nigeria sportsmen and women were sponsored by private organizations, state governments and individuals to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and renovation of Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja playing turf through private public partnership with the Dangote Group and the rehabilitation of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos by Chief Kesington Adebutu.
The most recent, among the innumerable successes of the minister, is the performance of Team Nigeria to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England where Nigeria recorded her best ever outing with 35 medals including 12 gold.
It is not surprising then that the minister, within these period had received over 45 accolades including most recent ones such as The New Telegraph Newspaper’s Most Innovative Minister; Leadership Newspapers Best Performing Minister and Blueprint Newspaper’s Sports Icon of the Decade.
