Sports
More Applause for Dare, Who’s Rated One of the Most Outstanding Ministers of Buhari Era by Onigbinde, SAN
…Say his Portfolio was Relied on by the Administration, for Credibility and Proof of Performance
Like the old saying goes, ‘a golden fish has no hiding place’, this assertion is aptly so, for the immediate past minister of Sports and Youth Development in Nigeria, Chief Sunday Akin Dare.
This verdict was passed by an Ibadan-based legal luminary, Dr. Akin Onigbinde (SAN), has described Chief Dare as “one of the most outstanding Ministers of the President Muhammadu Buhari era”.
The Principal Partner at Dr. Akin Onigbinde & Co. heaped this tons of praises on Chief Dare, while laying emphasis on the imperative need for communities to treasure and promote their champions and achievers.
Dr. Onigbinde while observing that, Ogbomoso have always had a fair share of talents and outstanding performers in every sphere of human endeavours, who have demonstrated verifiable commitment to the peace, progress and development of their homeland and its people, by following their careers with character, reputation and integrity, said Chief Dare has done exceedingly well, and deserves a place of honour in the sands of time.
Dr. Onigbinde who holds the title, Bamoofin of Ogbomosoland posited, “in our recent experiences, we have had sons and daughters from Ogbomosoland that have excelled and done us proud by the outstanding performances they have put up in public life and assignments, Sunday Dare just rotated out of the Federal Executive Council, as one of the most outstanding Ministers of the era, whose Portfolio is one of the very few that the administration relied on, for credibility and proof of performance…”
Chief Sunday Dare bowed out of office on May 29, 2023 as a minister. His giant strides and legacies left behind as Minister of Sports and Youth Development; and his outstanding recorded of achievements, sterling performance, and unprecedented policies, initiatives and reforms have been described by many as huge and compelling.
Dr. Onigbinde listed the 75 Billion Naira Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF); Digital, Trainings on Digital, Agroprecessing, renewable energy, Green Stimulus, Technical, Mobile Device, E-commerce and Cyber security skills for Nigerian youths; DEEL, National Youth Conference, Commonwealth Youth Summit African Region, NYSC allowance increased from 19,000 to 33, 000; Federal Employment opportunities, Commonwealth Youth Council Headquarters; Work Experience Programme; App Challenge, Skill Database Bilateral Agreements with seven countries on youth development; National Sports Policy, Sports as Business; relief for the past heroes of Nigerian Sports; Adopt-an-Athlete, Adopt-a-Pitch, winning highest number of medals at the CWGs, among other initiatives”.
MThese monumental feat as a minister, Dr. Onigbinde added have surely earned Chief Dare, who holds the title, ‘Agbaakin of Ogbomosoland’ accolades from key stakeholders and nay sayers who doubted him at first, awards and recognitions both in Nigeria and the diaspora, and he is still being celebrated by families, friends, and associates, even till date.
At present, Chief Dare is in Bengaluru on the invitation of the Indian government, where as an advocate of youths empowerment, he will be participating in a Youth-20 consultative forum.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
Joel Ajayi
The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.
Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.
In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.
The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.
In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.
At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.
According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.
“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.
Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.
He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.
The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.
He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.
“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.
Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.
The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.
According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.
The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.
It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.
The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.
He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.
“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.
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