Sports
Team Nigeria’s Impressive Medals Haul at Global Events & Stadium Infrastructure Policies Resonates as Sunday Dare Honoured in Maldives.
Last weekend, in far away Male, capital of the Republic of Maldives, Nigeria was on the front burner; and with modesty and pride for the nation, the Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Chief Sunday Dare received a special recognition for his lofty contributions to Sports Development in Nigeria and the entire Africa, as a Region.
The award was presented to him by the President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
In his remarks, the Maldives President highlighted that the very essence of the award, was to appreciate and celebrate individuals for their support to the sport community.
The Maldives President continued “we are honoured to present this Special Recognition to the Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development of Nigeria, Mr. Sunday Akin Dare. During the outstanding tenure of Mr. Dare, he has made giant strides towards the development of sports infrastructure and Nigeria’s results at major international competitions have been phenomenal”.
Receiving the award, Chief Dare thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, for the unveivering support he had always given the Sports Ministry.
“The intentional leadership of Mr. President has helped in pushing up sports development, during my watch to new heights. Without such support, this special recognition wouldn’t have been possible”
Chief Dare also thanked members of his team, at the Sports Ministry and every stakeholder he has worked with in the adios task of giving the sports sector the desired lift.
African football legend Nwankwo Kanu, who was also in Male was feted with a Sports Icon award, on a special night for Nigeria and two of her sports personalities who were given international recorgnision.
Mr. Sunday Dare had previously been bestowed with other prestigious awards, like the Highest Order of Sports Administrators by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Public Service Award of Excellence presented to him by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari.
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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