The minister of youth and sports development, Mr. Sunday Dare, is to be conferred with a ‘Special Recognition Award’ in the Republic of Maldives in recognition of his contribution to the development of sports in Nigeria and the African region.
Mohammed Manga, director of press and public relations, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, announced this in a statement released on Monday in Abuja, saying the Republic of Maldives’ minister of youth, sports and community empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof, stated that the award is being conferred on Dare not only for his contribution to the development of sports in Nigeria but to the African region as a whole.
“In recognition of the work you have carried out for the development of sports in your country and African region, we will be conferring the ‘Special Recognition Award’ on your Excellency,” Mahloof said.
The conferment ceremony which will be held in the Republic of Maldives on the 16th of March 2023; will be attended by the Maldivian President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, world renowned athletes as well as Maldivian athletes, among others.
Recalls that in recognition of his stellar performances since assumption of office as Nigeria’s minister of sports and youth development, Dare has bagged various awards including an Award of Excellence in Public Service given to him by President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Telegraph Most Innovative Minister Award, the Blueprint Sports Icon of the Year Award, Youth Award in the United States of America, African Illustrious Minister of the Year Award among many others.
Under Dare’s leadership, Nigeria posted her best ever Commonwealth Games performance in August 2022 and produced her first ever World Record holder and World champion in the person of Tobi Amusan.
