- The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has charged the Nigerian team at the 2020 Para-Powerlifting World Cup in Abuja to focus on making the country proud by winning laurels.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has charged the Nigerian team at the 2020 Para-Powerlifting World Cup in Abuja to focus on making the country proud by winning laurels.
According to the Special Adviser, Media to the minister, John Joshua-Akanji , Dare made the call on Tuesday, when he visited the team’s camp at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
The minister restated his commitment to athletes’ welfare, assuring that he would not allow the politics of sports to hinder him from giving the athletes the best government could offer.
Dare said he was not unaware of the immediate and remote challenges facing Nigerian athletes, promising to shield them from negative effects.
“Without athletes, there is no sports. S,o their welfare is of paramount importance to me and the country.”
Dare explained the ministry’s ‘Adopt-An-Athelete’ programme, which he said was designed to connect individual athletes to corporate institutions and private individuals for sponsorship of the athletes’ training.
“Once the link is done, you will be connected to the person or company and the money comes directly to you. It doesn’t come to the ministry or anyone else,” he said.
“The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports has a responsibility to you and no sports federation or president of any federation is bigger than the ministry or the country. The ministry takes the lead and that has been the rule. I am not going to change it. The ministry is the government and we have your best interests at heart. No matter what happens ultimately the ministry is responsible for you.”
