Sports
Dare to be conferred With Special Recognition award For Sports Development in African Region By Republic of Maldives
The Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare is to be conferred with a ‘Special Recognition Award’ in the Republic of Maldives in recognition of his contribution to the development of sports in Nigeria and the African region.
The Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Republic of Maldives, Ahmed Mahloof, stated that the award is being conferred on Sunday Dare, not only for his contribution to the development of sports in Nigeria but to the African region as a whole.
“In recognition of the work, you have carried out for the development of sports in your country and African region, we will be conferring the ‘Special Recognition Award’ on your Excellency,” he said
The conferment ceremony which will be held in the Republic of Maldives on the 16th of March, will be attended by the Maldivian President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, world renowned athletes as well as Maldivian athletes, among others.
It will be recalled that in recognition of his stellar performances since assumption of office as Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Dare has bagged various awards including the Award of Excellence.in Public.Service, an award given by President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Telegraph Most Innovative Minister Award, the Blueprint Sports Icon of the Year Award, Youth Award in the United States of America, African Illustrious Minister of the Year Award among many others.
Apart from the various awards, Dare has initiated a lot of programmes like the Adopt initiative as well as produced the National Sports Industry Policy, the 10 year Football Development Masterplan, the Talent Hunt Program, the return of the long and middle distance races, and the cross country race in Nigeria after almost 40 years in the doldrums. He also embarked on the rehabilitation of sports facilities across the country, efforts that have impacted positively on Nigerian sports.
Under Dare’s leadership, Nigeria posted her best ever Commonwealth Games performance in August 2022 and produced her first ever World Record holder and World champion(in athletics) in Tobi Amusan.
You would also recall that Nigeria had her best Olympic Games performance in 13 years with 2 Medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sports
Flamingos’ Historic World Cup Feat Draws Musawa’s Commendation
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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