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Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Dare, holds Tripartite meeting with Algerian, Egyptian Counterparts
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr Sunday Dare on Tuesday in Abuja held a Tripartite meeting with his counterparts from Algeria and Egypt on how to foster mutual benefits among their countries.
The meeting formed part of activities marking the 40th anniversary of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa (ANOCA) taking place in Abuja..
Speaking during the meeting, Dare said, “When I visited Egypt some three months ago, we had a joint meeting where we reviewed youth and sports development programmes of our countries and explored common areas we can leverage on . We have spent the past few weeks trying to see which areas can be best explored. We agreed that he would either come to Abuja or I would visit Cairo.Gladly, he has come to Abuja and we want to warmly welcome him.
“It is also so important to welcome the Minister of Youth and Sports Development from Algeria who was the Chairman of the Anti Corruption War in Algeria, the equivalent of our EFCC chairman before he became the Minister.
“The population of Youth in Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt is growing in leaps and bounds. These youth need to be engaged either by giving them employment, or by keeping them busy through sports and competitions, providing them finance to start their own businesses or by simply ensuring that we give them the digital skills that they need. So, for youth development there are four critical areas; Digital Skills and Digital Literacy for the digital economy for the 24th century. How do we operate this aspect because we have that challenge and I am sure we will know whether it’s the same challenge.
“The youths are restless, if they are not engaged in productive activities, they go on riot, go into drug abuse and other vices. We see sports as a tool for unity and tool to keep the youth busy. We believe that when a youth goes to practice wrestling in the morning, does same in the evening all he wants to do is to eat dinner and sleep. But when he sits in the morning, 14 hours everyday doing nothing, he can be recruited for protest or recruited for any kind of vices. Sports can be used as a tool to promote peace and unity
“Thirdly, there is the need to empower our youth, give them the finance and the resources they need to become self-employed, to become entrepreneurs and wealth creators.
“Government can no longer employ all the youth. Government jobs are not available but the youth have problems with banks to access loans where the interest rate in this country is about 21-24% . In Nigeria, we were able to establish the youth investment fund at an interest rate of 5% single digit, the lowest and we think that would help to turn our youths to entrepreneurs. I think these are the key major areas. I can provide another example when it comes to sports. It is important that we have inter-country tournament and championship beyond what we do in Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. We can come together and organise a Volleyball Tournament, or an Athletics Championship. It’s miniature skills but it’s impactful. In athletics, some points could be gained and ranking improved. We can even organize football matches; we just did a six -Nation football tournament which the FIFA and CAF presidents came. It had six top women football countries in Africa participate and it was an exciting time where they also got points for participating.
“Also, we can look at youth exchange, our youths love to travel, sadly some of them travel illegally. We can have them make this travel legally and be more impactful. We will design a youth exchange programme between our countries. From Egypt and Algeria we may have 50 youths selected by Egyptian Ministry or the Algerian Ministry have a programme in Nigeria which they will fit into, whether it is a Sports event, digital skill or entrepreneurship skills program. We can even start with 10 youth for a month exchange program. That was the practice in the past but it stopped. But youths in Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria want the same thing. They want jobs, capital to start businesses, they want to build a career, they want government to support them and set them on the path of progress. I think these are the critical areas we can work on. We will mention the programs that we have, but the MOU will look at the four critical areas. We start to look at what programme does Egypt, Algeria or Nigeria have in sports that are alike and design such programs as a module for the youth of our country.
In his response, the Algerian Youth and Sports Minister Abderezak Sebagag said, “I wish to thank the Minister of Youth and Sports Development from Nigeria and Egypt.
“Concerning the developmental policy that we want to engage our youth in our respective countries, especially the aspect of improving their digital skills, we have a volunteer program in Algeria.
The Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi also affirmed, “We as a Ministry, we will work as one country in an effort to develop youth and sports in Africa. With the scheme from the Honourable Youth and Sports Minister from Nigeria , we can seek how to work together.
“We should use our roles and positions as Ministers of youth and sports to promote our vision and development. If we work together, our development and plans can become reality”
“We look at the sports part of the youth activities, we look at sports as a leisure, as recreation, as competition and tournament. Actually we have to look at Sports as a product to shield the youth from vices in their society. In Egypt, we have a full strategy merging youth and sports. Basically we use sports development to aid education till 2052.
“We are developing our premises, which means we are developing our facilities and sports facilities because without good facilities we can’t actualize our plans for the future”, he concluded.
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Daughters of Dr. Charles Ononiwu, Chiamanda and Chiamaka, Launch Debut Books to Uplift Hearts Facing Life’s Struggles
Joel Ajayi
At just 18 and 20 years old, Chiamanda and Chiamaka Ononiwu — daughters of renowned Nigerian surgeon Dr. Charles Ononiwu — have achieved a remarkable milestone with the release of their debut inspirational books, Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls.
Their literary journey began six years ago, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the world was engulfed in fear and uncertainty, the then 13- and 15-year-old sisters turned inward, using writing as an outlet to process their emotions, express their faith, and reach out to others with messages of hope and resilience.
What began as a quiet act of creativity blossomed into two powerful books that now serve as beacons of light for readers navigating life’s storms.
Eighteen-year-old Chiamanda Ononiwu is the author of Do Not Be Afraid. A passionate Electrical Engineering student , she is also a proud alumna of Intellichild TLC and Valedictorian of Great Blessings School, Class of 2022.
In her book, she addresses the emotional challenges many young people face and draws from her personal faith to offer guidance and encouragement.
Her elder sister, Chiamaka Ononiwu, 20, is a final-year medical student at Babcock University in Nigeria. She penned Waterfalls, a heartfelt and deeply spiritual work she describes as divinely inspired. Chiamaka views her writing as a calling — a mission to uplift souls and bring hope to those struggling with life’s challenges.
“Personally, I would say it all started with the idea of inclusion, inspired by real human experiences,” Chiamaka shared. “We’ve had conversations with people who’ve gone through difficult situations — including issues and those stories helped shape what I write today.”
She added, “It’s all about encouraging people to face life with faith. We began this journey during a dark time in the world, and I felt called to create something that could offer comfort and hope — not just locally, but globally.”
The official book launch and signing ceremony took place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and was attended by family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. It was a celebration of creativity, faith, and youthful brilliance, as the sisters presented their work to an inspired audience.
Speaking at the event, Chiamaka emphasized the core message of her book: “Waterfalls reminds readers that God is always watching over His people. He doesn’t bring fear — He brings peace, hope, and love. I want readers to find comfort and assurance in that truth.”
For Chiamanda, her book is a message to young people who may feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures: “Do Not Be Afraid is especially for youth navigating difficult times. No matter how hard life gets, you can always find strength and direction in God’s word.”
Writing came naturally to both sisters. Chiamaka recalled, “Even as a child, I loved writing short stories for my siblings. When the opportunity came to publish, I knew it was time to share my message with a wider audience.”
Despite their demanding academic paths, both young women balanced their studies with writing through perseverance and faith.
Chiamanda and Chiamaka are united by a shared dream — to inspire people across the world with their writing.
Chiamaka expressed Further; “Our biggest hope is that these books will reach people who need to know that God is real, that He’s always with them, and that through Him, anything is possible,” Chiamaka said.
With Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls, the Ononiwu sisters have not only created literary works — they’ve created lifelines. Their voices, grounded in faith and driven by purpose, remind readers everywhere that even in the darkest moments, God’s light never fades.
Their father, Dr. Charles Ononiwu — a distinguished surgeon and deeply devoted parent — also spoke at the event, sharing the journey from his perspective.
“For me, my number one priority has always been to care for children — not just medically, but also by encouraging them academically and in the basics of life,” he said.
He recounted a moving moment with Chiamanda, who approached him with the idea of sharing her story publicly to inspire others.
“She came to me and said she wanted to talk to her peers, to share how she had been comforted, and to help them see that everything would be okay,” he recalled. “As a father, my role was to guide her. I support both of them, help activate their strengths, and provide direction.”
Dr. Ononiwu made the decision to fund the publication of their books himself, believing in the power of their message.
“I told them, ‘You have something the world needs. You can make an impact in the lives of others,’” he said. “I believe every child has a gift. It is our responsibility as parents not to dismiss them, but to help them discover and nurture their talents.”
He encouraged all parents to support their children’s creative pursuits, noting, “Every person has something special inside them — no one is without talent. It’s just a matter of looking inward, discovering that gift, and sharing it with the world.”
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