Sports

Sunday Dare Leads Ogbomosho Rockets To Debut Win

Published

4 years ago

January 7, 2023

Sunday Dare on Saturday at the newly reconstructed basketball court inside Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) led his pet basketball team, Ogbomosho Rockets to debut victory after beating LAUTECH Thunders (45-35).

The warm-up game saw former D’Tigers captain, Olumide Oyedeji playing for LAUTECH Thunders while the Minister played throughout the first quarter for Ogbomosho Rockets.

Elated Sunday Dare said some of the basketball players have been identified good enough to play for the national teams soon.

I am happy that I am able to give back to the community especially the youth in the University campus, the largest concentration of youth in this country are in the campuses. And you can see the talents. Investment in youth is directly an investment in sports development. I am sure one or two of them will make it to the national team. We have seen the flashes. We have seen Olumide Oyedeji who is former NBA player and D’Tigers captain he is also happy seeing some talents her.

First, we have seen LAUTECH basketball team will now start their trainings on the new reconstructed court and become more competitive on one of the best basketball court balls. We also built stand for supporters to sit and cheer them to victory during matches. So, they have all the components they need, beyond that, to keep that alive we are going to have a six-team tournament in February. The teams will come from Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Lagos and Ogun States.

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Sports

Flamingos’ Historic World Cup Feat Draws Musawa’s Commendation

Published

17 hours ago

November 8, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has congratulated Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat to claim Nigeria’s first title in the competition and make history as the first African nation to win the tournament.

Awawu Bashiru gave Nigeria the lead in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku extended the advantage two minutes after the restart. Japan’s Fuki Ito reduced the deficit in the 80th minute, but the Nigerian girls held on to secure a memorable victory.

In a congratulatory message was signed by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze on Sunday in Abuja, Musawa described the achievement as a defining moment for Nigeria and a significant milestone for African women’s football, attributing the success to the team’s resilience, talent and determination.

“This is more than a trophy. It is a story of young Nigerian girls who refused to give up, who rose after defeat, and who carried the hopes of a continent to the top of the world,” she said.

The Minister noted that the Flamingos had broken new ground by becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria also became the first African country to win both the men’s and women’s U-17 World Cup titles.

The team further achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the first side in the competition’s history to lose its opening match and eventually emerge champions.

Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening group-stage encounter, the Flamingos recovered impressively, recording six consecutive victories to lift the trophy.

Musawa particularly praised Umejiaku, who claimed the tournament’s Golden Ball award as the best player, and Bashiru for their crucial contributions in the final.

She also commended the entire squad for their discipline, teamwork and determination throughout the competition.

According to her, the victory demonstrates the creativity, courage and excellence of Nigerian youths on the global stage.

The Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the achievements and inspiring stories of young Nigerians who continue to bring honour to the country.

“Our girls have shown the world what Nigeria is made of. We celebrate you today, and we will continue to stand with you,” she added.

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