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Dare’s Daring 6 Months Exploits in Youth and Sports Development

Published

5 years ago

April 12, 2020

When President Muhammadu Buhari named Sunday Dare as Youths and Sports Minister six months ago, he was applauded for making the right choice.
The excitement generated by Dare’s appointment was hinged on his pedigree as an accomplished international journalist, administrative exposure and experience in public service.

Prior to Dare’s appointment, the belief was that sports was usually the last in the pecking order of merit.
Some ex-ministers had laid credence to this with seemingly poor performances and lack of vision that has kept Nigerian sports in the archives of past glory and youth development at a crossroads. Six months down the line, Dare is reinventing the wheels.

The long years of systemic destruction, failed dreams, poor planning, disillusionment and frustrations have left the terrain comatose and at a crossroads. Decaying infrastructure, poorly motivated athletes, disgruntled work force, poorly trained coaches, archaic policy and angrily resentful public make the assignment not only herculean, but one that needs ruffling of feathers.

Dare began his assignment by seeking to change the mindset of the workers and the wrong perception of the public that nothing can work in the sector. For someone from a technologically driven background, Dare had to change the mindset of the Ministry’s staff. Gradually, in the last six months, the work ethic has changed.

With a Permanent Secretary in Gabriel Aduda who is desirous of breaking away from old tradition, Dare has moved in leaps and bounds. He has restored confidence in the ministry as evidenced in the partnership with the private sector, agencies and international bodies. His first breakthrough was moving away from the narrow scope of being called ‘Football Minister’.

Under Dare, Youth and Sports Development have been given a new vista. He hit the ground running with his Adopt initiative which has seen corporate organisations, governors and individuals adopting athletes, signing MoUs and paying money directly into their accounts to prepare for the now postponed Tokyo Olympics. This is against the convention where Olympics-bound athletes never had funds to prepare.
The ripple effect is that it takes away the burden off the athletes, administrators and the coaches. This ensures transparency and accountability of funds. The Adopt initiative has also led to infrastructural developments with the rehabilitation of stadiums in Abuja, Kaduna Ibadan through partnerships.
This has restored faith in the sports scene. Sponsors, Individuals and others now feel comfortable investing in Sports with the belief that there is proper accountability and due process.

The Adopt A stadium initiative is also paying off with the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja to be renovated by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Daura Township Stadium, Katsina by Chief Kensington Adebutu, Ahmadu Bello Stadium by Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El Rufai. The entire sports spectrum is being revived despite the paucity of funds.

Dare’s master plan is moving sports away from mere recreation to real business anchored on 4 triggers; infrastructure as catalyst for development, investment, incentives and policy. The inauguration of the steering committee of Sports Industry Group led by eminent personalities is an indication of a new dawn, hope and renewal in the sports sector by the organised private sector.

Unlike past Ministers who became pigeonholed as football Ministers, Dare is re-inventing the wheel by paying attention to other sports and youth development. This has seen him navigate round the country in search of talents, revival of the state Sports Festival, launching of a Youth policy document, Digital training and creation of employment opportunities.

His interventions are already yielding results with the discovery of the young swimmer nicknamed the Fish, the young girl boxing sensation Shekina, the tennis sisters Oiza and Nene Yakubu. No wonder he has earned himself the sobriquet “Talent Hunter, Reformist Minister among others.

The revival of the National Sports Festival, Youth Games, NUGA, back to school, Principal Cup, Headmaster Cup among others are geared towards enduring sports development. Welfare of athletes occupies a front burner in the Minister’s agenda with athletes getting their entitlements promptly.

Dare insists that without sports men, sports will be meaningless as they are the core of winning glory for our country. Hence, while active athletes are getting remunerated, forgotten heroes are also getting due recognition. Dare is working with top athletes like Mary Onyali, Daniel Igali, Daniel Amokachi, Joseph Yobo among others in rallying their colleagues to actualize his new vision.

Youths now enjoy a new deal under the DEEL PROGRAMME, an acronym for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Engagement. Through this, youths are being trained to acquire Digital skills and become self-employed.

The Minister has gone into strategic partnership with at least 20 agencies to implement this action plan. More than 500,000 Youths are expected to benefit from the DY.NG (Digital Youth Nigeria initiative. Likewise, The Nigeria Youth Online, NOYA programme is expected to train youngsters in Digital skills, trading and internship. This would be done through the Youth Development centres across Nigeria. An agreement with the AFDB has been signed to actualize this mandate.
Other Development partners include Centre Bank, Bank of Industries, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Nigeria Content Development Monitoring Board, Dangote Industries, Premier Lotto, 21st Century and partnership with over 50 Corporate Organizations on WEP initiative. Since the Ministry is limited by funds, Dare is thinking outside the box by partnering with the private sector, wealthy individuals, State Governments, Agencies and International organizations to actualize what he calls a huge, unfunded mandate.

Six months in the saddle, Dare appears to be on the right track of rewriting Nigerian Youth and Sports Development history.

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Menstrual Hygiene: ‘Access PADme A Girl’ Educates IDP Women, Distributes Reusable Pads, Other Items

Published

10 hours ago

April 4, 2025

The Gleamer

…Launches Pad Bank in IDP Camps

Joel Ajayi

A non-governmental organisation, Access PADme A Girl, is working tirelessly to uplift disadvantaged communities through a campaign focused on menstrual hygiene awareness and safety.

As part of this effort, the group recently distributed over 2,000 reusable menstrual pads, books, food items, and other essentials to girls and women at the Durumi IDP Camp in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Speaking at the sensitization event held on Thursday, the Convener of Access PADme A Girl Initiative, Theresa Moses, emphasized that the initiative aims not only to empower young girls but also to alleviate the financial burden associated with menstruation.

“We came here to distribute free, reusable sanitary pads to the women at Area 1 Durumi IDP Camp,” she said. “The goal is to create awareness and address the issue of period poverty.”

She further announced the launch of a pad bank at the camp, stating, “With the pad bank, women and girls will be able to access menstrual pads every month during their cycles. Many of them have been using tissue paper, dirty rags, or even leaves, which pose serious health risks. We are here to change that narrative by educating them on proper menstrual hygiene and how to use reusable sanitary pads.”

In addition to the hygiene kits, the initiative provided educational materials to young girls in the camp to encourage continued learning.
“We encourage mothers to support their daughters’ education, especially in reading and writing. We also provided them with food items, water, and snacks. This isn’t just a distribution event—we want them to feel valued and supported,” she added.

Theresa also shared plans to expand the campaign across other IDP camps nationwide. “We are taking it step by step—camp by camp. But to sustain this initiative, especially maintaining the pad bank monthly, we need support from individuals, organisations, and government bodies.”

In her own, a childhood friend of the convener and a participant at the event, Blessing Amos emphasized the importance of supporting women’s hygiene in Nigeria.

“Statistics show that around 800 million women menstruate daily worldwide, yet only about 5 million have access to sanitary pads. That leaves 795 million without proper access. When people are struggling to afford food, sanitary products become an afterthought,” she said.

“This initiative is timely. The reusable pads provided mean these women don’t have to worry every month about affording menstrual products. We also taught them how to wash and disinfect the pads for reuse.”

She commended Access Bank for supporting the project and called on other organisations and the government to contribute to such life-changing interventions.

In her remarks, Mrs. Liatu Ayuba, Women Leader of the Durumi IDP Camp, expressed gratitude for both the sanitary pads and the valuable knowledge shared.

“I’m so happy we received these donations and were educated on how to use the products properly. Over 1,000 women here benefited today. I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with others in the camp.”

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