Sports

Sports Federations Draw Legitimacy From Nigeria’ Sovereignty, they Cannot be Bigger than the Country” – Sunday Dare

Published

4 years ago

June 4, 2022

…says relationship must be collaborative and complementary

Honourable Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has stated that sports federations in Nigeria cannot be bigger than the country, because their legitimacy stems from the sovereignty of Nigeria.

Dare, in a statement delivered at the inauguration of the Interim Management Committee of the Nigeria Basketball Federation posited that the relationship between sports federations and governments should be constructive, collaborative and complementary and not antagonistic and adversarial.

The minister stated that “whenever there is a departure (from collaborative relationships), it becomes clear that other interests over and above that of the sports and the athletes have crept in. Federations draw their legitimacy from the Federal Government of Nigeria and a sovereign Nigeria”.

Sunday Dare added that whatever power the federations and their boards have, they only exercise them on the behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

He urged sports federations not to seek the take advantage of the privilege of legitimacy they enjoy to denigrate the authority of the Federal Government before international organizations and on the altar of enlightened self -interests.

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Sports

Drogba, Amuneke, Eguavoen Lead African Legends’ Arrival in Lagos

Published

1 day ago

November 7, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just one day to the much-anticipated Legends of Africa Football Game, Ivorian football icon Didier Drogba has arrived in Lagos, joining an impressive assembly of former African internationals already in the city ahead of Sunday’s star-studded encounter.

Drogba’s arrival further heightens anticipation for the game, which will bring together some of the continent’s most celebrated football figures at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Also in Lagos are Nigerian football greats Mobi Oparaku, Emmanuel Amuneke, Emmanuel Babayaro, Garba Lawal, Austin Eguavoen and Mutiu Adepoju, alongside other members of the legendary Super Eagles generations of 1994 and 1996.

The African contingent also features distinguished names including Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, among other former international stars.

The excitement will extend beyond the legends’ reunion, with popular Nigerian entertainers and celebrities preparing for a special Celebrity Match as part of the event. Yhemolee, Sheggz, Jeriq, Teddy A and Charles Okocha are among the personalities set to feature in the celebrity fixture, scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

The Celebrity Match will form part of a wider programme of activities designed to give fans a full day of football, entertainment and celebration before the main legends’ fixture, which kicks off at 5pm. Gates open at 1:30pm.

Organized by Toptier Sports Management in collaboration with Afreximbank and CANEX as part of CANEX WKND 2026, the game will feature 15 Nigerian legends taking on 13 African icons in a celebration of the players whose achievements helped shape the history of football on the continent.

Beyond the match, the programme includes a football clinic involving 500 young players, entertainment and special recognition for the heroes of African football.

The Legends of Africa Football Game promises a memorable gathering of football royalty, bringing together generations of fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of the continent’s finest players.

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