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With meagre budget of N2.7b a year for capital projects, Sports minister Sunday Dare, listed among Buhari’s best

Published

4 years ago

August 25, 2020

By Adewale Ajayi

Nigeria minister of youth and sports development Sunday Dare has emerged as the third best minister after just one year in office.

Appointed sports minister in August 2019, Dare has defied the odds to excel where his predecessors failed by shunning out brilliant initiatives and maintaining a steady profile during the last twelve months as Nigeria minister of Youth and Sports development.

The Oyo state born politician arrived the scene with little knowledge of sports but has managed to keep his head above water with some outstanding performances that have left stakeholders shocked at his brilliant foresight and immense achievements in just a short time in office.

In an interim scorecard released by the *transparency watch*, Dare came third behind Nigeria minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development Saddiya Farouq and minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi.

Both finished first and second ahead of Dare whose yearly budget as sports minister is put at just 2.7 billion naira.

Among these three, the ministry of transportation gets *560 billion naira as yearly budgetary allocation* while the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development is on *420 billion naira budgetary allocation yearly*.

Despite the low budget, Sunday Dare has remained undeterred as he has continued to weather the storm through support from private and corporate sectors.

For the first time in a long while, the ministry is happy to see a minister that is paying equal attention to youth and sports development.

Sunday Dare has come up with various youth policies that has seriously impacted on the lives of the Nigerian youths. No wonder, president Mohammadu Buhari wasted no time in approving the 75 billion naira worth Nigeria youth investment fund, an initiative aimed at empowering Nigerian youths to put their brains and energy at work instead of waiting for white collar jobs.

That singular feet, has catapulted Dare to the very top of the list of achievers under the present APC government of president Mohammadu Buhari.

Humble and always easy going, Sunday Dare is not cut out for controversies. He has cleverly managed the many crisis in football, basketball and athletics federation, without soiling his hands.

He has maintained a calm head in the middle of the storm as his actions most times speak louder than his voice.

A man with the midas touch, Dare has gone out of his way to seek private sector support in the refurbishment of all the abandoned National stadia in Nigeria. The National stadium in Surulere Lagos and the MKO Abiola international stadium in Abuja are top priorities as he works towards making good his promise of reviving Nigeria sporting facilities.

The labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain is a popular line in the Nigeria National Anthem, but for Sunday Dare, he is actively looking out for Nigeria heroes past and present. He started his humaniterian and compassionate campaign by first impacting on the lives of the mothers of late Nigerian footballers like Samuel Okwaraji and Rashidi Yekini among other beneficiaries.

Nigerian sports men and women have not stopped singing his praises since the introduction of the Adopt an Athlete initiative, which has seen several wealthy individuals, private and corporate sponsors invest their monies in the careers of athletes with huge potentials to win medals for Nigeria at international events.

Nigeria youth corpers are also singing the praise of Sunday Dare. His emergence as sports minister came with an agitation that led to an increase from 18,000 to 33,000 naira monthly allowance for youth Corp members nationwide.

Sunday Dare will go down in history as the only Nigeria minister of youth and sports that has matched his many promises with actions blessed with results. For every promises made, there is always going to be an action that will ultimately lead to a result.

Now the stakeholders are saying, if in only 12 months he has left us salivating with excitement, what will happen after four years as the Nigeria sports ministry is now looking too good than ever imagined.

No wonder one stakeholder, a social media activist and a die hard supporter of Sunday Dare, Abbass Ibrahim, once said and I quote..

“Congratulations to our amiable Hon. Minister Sunday Akin Dare, your entry to the sports ministry is a reflection of the shinning light that subdued many years of darkness. May Almighty God keep and protect you to do many more good things for the ministry”. #SD👍

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Olawande’s 21st Century Skills initiative, A Move Towards Re-fertilization Of Nigerian Youths

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

Transforming the Nigeria youths to equip the current and future generations with 21st century skills is important. The Africa and National Youth Day 2024 is therefore a historic moment to put a need 21st century skills at the forefront toward the the growth and development of all.

Nigeria as a nation has made meaningful progress in education over the past 60 years, with more girls in school and more students in Higher education system than ever before.

Reports showed that School completion rates have increased from 2000 to 2022 at all levels.

Still, these gains are insufficient to prepare Nigerians youth for the 21st century and its fast-changing professional landscape. By 2030, roughly 60 million jobs iin Nigeria and 230 million in Africa will demand digital skills. Classroom practices must shift to meet these future employability needs and nurture creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving.

Nigeria recorded the largest population of young people in the continent of Africa that means a 21st century skills is critical to to equip the current and future generations.

Based on this, Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande who has been promoter and advocate of digital skiill even before he became Minister has once again initiate digital literacy programmes, technical skills empowerment and leadership insight and urged young people to actively develop and adopt crucial 21st-century skills to effectively combat the rising issue of unemployment.

When he was Minister Youth for State, he introducing the Youth Development Fund to support young entrepreneurs, implementing the Youth Empowerment Program, training over 10,000 young people in vocational skills, establishing the Youth Mentorship Initiative, pairing young people with experienced professionals, and developing the National Youth Policy, providing a framework for youth development.

He also initiated the “One Youth One Ward” initiative to tackle drug abuse, established the Youth Innovation Hub, hosted the National Youth Conference, rolled out the Youth Volunteer Program, fostered partnerships with private sector organizations amongst others.

He has implement innovative programs, foster strategic partnerships, and demonstrated unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunities.

Now Minister of Youth without doubt has been at the forefront of this journey, demonstrating unwavering dedication to empowering Nigerians youth even from his school days.

Comrade Ayodele Olawande made this appeal today in Abuja during the Africa and National Youth Day Celebration with the theme : ‘ Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century’ and sub-theme: ‘Building a Resilient Education System: A New Hope for Nigerian Youth’,

He said such skills like critical thinking, digital literacy, and effective communications are essential tools for navigating the increasingly competitive job markets.

Olawande strongly advocated for the youth of Nigeria to prioritize the investment of their time and put efforts in developing a diverse range of essential skills and competencies by actively engaging in the pursuit that can significantly enhance their employability that will make them attractive candidates before their potential employers.

According to the Minister, “acquiring these skills will equip youth to confidently navigate the complexities and demands of an increasingly competitive job market, where adaptability and innovation are crucial. This proactive approach plays a vital role in addressing the rising unemployment crisis that has been affecting many young Nigerians today.”

“Through dedicated skill development, they can not only improve their job prospects but also lay the groundwork for sustainable career growth and success in the long run. In this rapidly evolving economic landscape, embracing continuous learning and professional development is not just beneficial; it is essential for achieving one’s career aspirations,” he explained.

The Minister further explained that the theme, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century,” serves as a powerful endorsement of the One Youth Two Skills initiative, adding that it will foster practical skills alongside formal education.

Olawande stated : “This initiative aims to empower youth and create sustainable employment opportunities. Ultimately, the initiative is a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to eliminate unemployment and promote economic growth across the continent”.

In his paper presentation, Professor Ahmed Adamu, a lecturer at Nile University, Abuja, stated that by next year, 85 million jobs will be lost due to technological advancements, while 97 million new jobs are expected to be created.

Professor Adamu stressed that the future job market will heavily favour those individuals who proactively seek to acquire new skills and adapt to the evolving technological landscape.

Adamu said that for one to go far in whatever they are doing, they must be self-disciplined, duly intelligent and have the consistency in learning.

However, the minister of Youth led the teaming youths on a road walk from the Ministry to BMO Event Centre to Celebrate Africa and National Youth Day.

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