Morakinyo Abodunrin
HE came, he saw and he was bowled over.
So it seemed for the swashbuckling Minister of Youth and Sports Sunday Dare when he came to witness the final of the Nigeria Women Premier League (NWPL) Super 4 at the Agege Stadium in Lagos last weekend.
Of course, Dare was a sight to behold as he bounced like a ball along with the well heeled Minister of Women Affairs Paulen Tallen to take the symbolic kick off.
Of course, trust Dare to cease the occasion. He was endearing in his fitting black track suit (green or white could have been perfect for the occasion though) as he strutted his stuff with the round leather at the hallowed turf of the Soccer Temple.
Yet Dare proved he was not there only for the klieg lights while declaring his totally support for the NWPL under the watch of Aisha Falode, the chairperson of the NWPL.
“It’s very difficult to see two balanced teams play in a cup final, especially in women’s football,” the 53-year-old Dare with boyish hues reportedly said. “I was entertained and there was no dull moment as the two teams exhibited excellent understanding of the game of football. The match could have gone either way.”
Yet under his brief stay at Agege, Dare in words and spirit brought to the fore leadership essentials as espoused by the former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell who noted that: ‘ great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.’
Dare spoke about one of the problems plaguing women’s football as well as offering the panacea for its steady growth: “It’s incomplete to say we are playing professional women’s league when the league is not professional in vital areas like sponsorship. From what I have seen, the NWPL is almost there, left for the desired sponsorship. And with hard work on the side of the Sports Ministry, we should be able to secure a very good one for the women’s league.”
We are waiting and watching.
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