Sports

Dare Confirms Appointment of Three-Time Olympian, Yusuf Alli as Team Nigeria’s Coordinator for Commonwealth Games 2022

Published

3 years ago

May 13, 2022

Joel Ajayi
As the the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games continues to draw closer, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare has officially confirmed three-time Olympian and 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Yusuf Alli as Coordinator of Team Nigeria for the 2022 Edition of the Commonwealth Games.

Speaking at the ceremonial hand-over of Alli’s official letter, the Minister said Alli’s appointment is on the back of his experience as an athlete and accomplishments as a sports administrator.

The Minister stated thus, “To ensure Team Nigeria’s success at the Games, we are bringing Yusuf Alli to compliment the efforts of the experts in the ministry, so as we all work together to give Nigeria a good showing in Birmingham. When we found out that, Yusuf Alli with his experience will be needed as part of the ingredients for our success we brought him on board.”

Dare added that, “we are determined to tap into the knowledge of our ex sports stars who served this country in the past, having the experience both on and off the field, and that’s why Yusuf Alli is with us. A number of our ex-sports men and women have also been working in the background to help the ministry and Nigeria grow as a sports nation”.

Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar tasked Yusuf Alli to bring his experience to the fore and ensure Team Nigeria’s objectives are achieved at the end of the Games.

“The task is no doubt an herculean one, but when one considers the experience garnered over the years, I’d say that we have a man with the pedigree to discharge the responsibilities expected of him. We expect effective coordination and discipline amongst our contingent to Birmingham”, the Permanent Secretary added.

While thanking the Ministry for the confidence reposed in him, Yusuf Alli stated that himself alongside the team will put in the work required to bring glory to Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games and ensure the contingent are worthy ambassadors of the country at the Games.

He promised to work together with the team’s captain and other members for the good of the country.
Alli represented Nigeria at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Los Angeles 1984 Olympics and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. He also won gold in the long jump event in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.

Team Nigeria will be participating at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham between the 28th of July to August 8, 2022.

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Sports

A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival

Published

3 days ago

May 29, 2025

The Gleamer

…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday

Joel Ajayi

After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.

Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.

The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.

A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.

The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.

From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.

The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.

The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.

The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.

As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.

” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.

The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.

” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.

” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.

The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.

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