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NIGERIA’S SPORTS MINISTER, SUNDAY DARE PAYS TRIBUTE AS ICONIC AKINYELE GOES HOME

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BY JOHN JOSHUA AKANJI

The age long practice of paying glowing tributes to dead heroes without commensurate honour and monuments erected to immortalize them will no longer be the norm.

Youths and Sports Minister, Sunday Dare has remarked that he  is committed to changing the narrative by ensuring that recognition and honour is bestowed on athletes, coaches  and administrators who  have made  immense contributions   to sports development.  

As the body of the late NSC Chairman, Chief Alex Akinyele is interned this Friday, the Nigerian sports minister, who by his position, is one of the successors to the late Ondo high chief, said beyond graveside oration, President Mohammadu Buhari is irrevocable committed to honouring sports men and women, coaches and Administrators that have contributed to sports.

 Hence a powerful delegation is not only in Ondo to pay their last respect, the Minister is personally involved with the burial arrangements. The Minister mobilized men and resources to ensure a befitting final rites of passage for the Ondo High Chief.

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While paying glowing tribute to heroes and heroines that had won laurels,  brought glory and honour to our fatherland, Dare said it must go beyond mere rhetorical statements and empty promises.

“We must learn to honour athletes, coaches and administrators that committed their lives to the service of the nation. Chief Akinyele was an epitome of service and patriotism. He exemplified what genuine service to the country meant.

 “His personal charm was infectious and hard work quite motivational. He tried to use his position to impact on the society. He was simply a true Nigerian hero.

“Sports remains our greatest unifying instrument, public relations tool and could be the biggest  source of revenue if properly harnessed.  

“So many heroes have died unheralded and in penury. We must celebrate our athletes and administrators while they are alive”, remarked, the sports minister.”

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According to him, Akinyele was a pace setter, astute administrator, accomplished technocrat , consummate business man who left his mark on the sands  of time. 

Dare affirmed that Akinyele led an exemplary life worthy of emulation. He was a man who abhorred failure, set his goals and ensured that they were accomplished.

He presided during great epochs in Nigerian Sports like  the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations  victory and the  qualification for the World Cup for the very fist time among others.

 He was meticulous and a stickler to details. He never believed in impossibilities. Dare further described him as humane, humorous, urbane and honest in his views. While some viewed him as too cosmopolitan, he was a grasroot man who was at home with his people, no wonder he held the title of Lobosin of Ondo Kingdom.

 He made remarkable marks in the development of his community in sports, education and infrastructural development. He united his people and brought them to national prominence. He was dutiful, loyal and patriotic. He was indeed passionate about the unity and progress of Nigeria. No wonder, he midwifed so many reforms in Nigeria’s body polity. He headed the Reconciliation Committee set up by the late Head of State General Sani Abacha.

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 While he was widely criticized in the South West, he won accolades across the Niger for his courage, zeal and unflinching believe in the sanctity of the union called Nigeria. Before his foray into sports, he brought panache, glamour, professionalism and respect to public relations practice as the pioneer President of the Institute of Public Relations of Nigeria.

His contributions to Public Relations Practice continue to evoke found memories when he worked at the Nigerian Customs Service. 

As Minister of Information under General Ibrahim Babangida, he developed the template that led to the of media practice in Nigeria. He was a stylish man, great orator, full of wits and idioms, jovial and quite amiable. 

He was married to a South African, Indian and lastly a Nigerian. He can therefore be best described as a man of the universe. Born on April 24th 1938 in Ondo town, Chief Akinyele was educated at the University of Ife. He died on November 15th 2019. He will be buried today, Friday.

*John Joshua Akanji Special Adviser, Media to the Minister of Youth and Sports

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.

Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.  

 The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.

It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May  1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.

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 Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.  It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.

The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.

In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.

This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.

 They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.

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The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).

The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open. 

Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.

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Governing Bodies

Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports

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Former Nigerian tennis player and Olympian, Prof. Sadiq Abdulahi has called for drastic action to arrest the decline of Nigeria in global sporting events.

  The former tennis player who is now a professor in the United States declared that the “failure to win a medal at the regular 2024 Paris Olympics, the few medals at the Paris Paralympic and the fallout at the National Youth Sports Festival has exposed the deep problems facing the sport’s sector.”

  He wants Nigeria to have the same approach that the Egyptian president has taken while reacting to the country’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olypics.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participated at the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

 According to Prof. Abdulahi, the National Sports Federations charged with the preparation of elite athletes have failed to do their job despite the cry for funding from the government.

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“Federal Government cannot adequately fund all the Olympics sports. It is impossible.

“By declaring a state of emergency, new people, new approaches and new funding models will be identified. More importantly, the Federal Government will redefine grassroots sports development.

“We will lay sustainable foundation for sports development.”

Continuing, he called for the return of the National Sports Commission (NSC) which enabling decree was abolished through Decree No. 7 of 1991, but came back through presidential proclamation under Sani Abacha before it was abolished again.

 The original NSC was established in 1964 as National Sports Council before the promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 which legalised it as  the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports.

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  “The FG may now bring back the National Sports Commission or the National Sports Authority. Our emerging national economy with the full participation of the private sector can support this new beginning. I hope this helps.” 

RELATED STORY: President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Governing Bodies

CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of  ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball

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The Confédération African of Football, CAF, has given the linguistics interpretation of OLA, the confederation’s official match balls produced by Puma which has also unveiled a special edition for the Super Cup duel holding on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

According to CAF, OLA, symbolizing the dynamic and energetic nature of African football, means “wealth,” “honour,” and “respect” in Yoruba and “rise” and “success” in Arabic.

The OLA ball stands out with its vibrant design and cultural significance. “OLA” 

The ball is a mix of black and gold, representing power and sophistication. The ball will be the centrepiece of the eagerly-awaited match between the two giants of African football.

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