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Tag: Minister of Sports

  • Paris Olympics: Minister of Sports urges athletes to aim podium finishing

    Paris Olympics: Minister of Sports urges athletes to aim podium finishing

    The Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan Enoh, has urged  awaiting athletes at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics to aim podium finishing in their various competitions.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the minister on media ,Diana-Mary Nsan on Saturday.

    The minister  urged all participants to embody the spirit of resilience and determination, representing Nigeria with pride and excellence in their Games.

    Enoh has applauded the duo of Kanyinsola Ajayi and Favour Ashe for their remarkable performances in their respective heats on Saturday.

    The national champion Kanyinsola Ajayi delivered a standout performance in heat five,  surprising many by defeating reigning Olympic Champion, Marcell Jacobs with a winning time of 10.02 seconds.

    Jacobs followed closely with 10.05 seconds, and Abdul Rasheed Saminu finished third in 10.06 seconds.

    Ashe also made it to the semifinals, securing one of the fastest non-automatic qualifying spots.

    He placed fourth in heat four  with a time of 10.16 seconds, following Oblique Seville (9.99s), Hakim Sani Brown (10.02s), and Puripol Boonson (10.13s).

    The minister commended both athletes for rising to the challenge.

    “I encourage them to aim for further success as the semifinals and final which will take place on Sunday evening.

    ‘It is important  for them (athletes) to maintain resilience and be  focused as they compete on the global stage,”he said.

    Read Also: Minister of Sports, Dare, tackles Makinde on herdsmen attacks

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adaku Nwandu, a 16-year-old Nigerian swimmer narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Women’s 50m Freestyle final.

    She finished second in her heat with a time of 26.62 seconds but did not rank among the 16 fastest times needed to advance.

    Enoh congratulated Nwandu on her fine performance in Paris and expressed confidence in her potential for future achievements

    NAN reports that the 2024 Paris Olympics which  started on July 26 is expected to end on Aug. 11.

    (NAN)

  • Enoh canvasses  more  public-private-partnership for sports 

    Enoh canvasses  more  public-private-partnership for sports 

    Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, believes increased public and private  partnership  would bolster  the  standard  of  sports  in the country.

    Senator Enoh said as much when  he  recently  visited the Lagos  headquarters of  News Central Television in Lagos as part of his  commitment to fostering partnership and development in the sports sector with private stakeholders.

    Welcoming  the  Minister’s delegation in the presence of  other Senior Executive Members of News Central Television , the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief  Mr. Kayode Akintemi commended Senator Enoh for his continuous support and implementation of initiatives to raise  sports development.

     He also noted News Central’s commitment to partnership and collaboration with Nigerians in the diaspora for significant development and growth across various sectors in line with the station’s overarching goal of promoting developmental journalism.

    Read Also:NANS: call to sack power minister mere blackmail

    Senator Enoh on his part, praised  News Central Team for their efforts in fostering journalism and positive engagement even as he praised President  Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his ingenuity in creating the Ministry of Sports Development and expressed his gratitude for being the pioneering Minister of the nascent Ministry.

    Commenting on News Central’s activities and collaboration with Nigerians in the diaspora,  the minister commended the station, adding there is a necessity to  look  beyond remittances from citizens in the diaspora in order  to retain talent and promote patriotism.

    He  seized the opportunity to reinforce the government’s unwavering commitment to promoting sports and physical activity as integral components of national development and societal well-being.

    Furthermore, the visit provided a platform for Senator John Enoh to highlight the government’s comprehensive agenda for advancing sports infrastructure, nurturing talent, and driving partnerships with private sector actors.

    The visit culminated in a tour of News Central’s facilities by the Minister and his entourage  which included  Orok Effangha, the Special Adviser on Strategy,  Kenneth Egbas , Special Adviser and Consultant and Diana Mary Nsan, the Special Adviser on Media.

  • 2019 budget: Special FEC session to hold Friday 

    Another Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting was on Wednesday fixed for Friday to deliberate on the 2019 Budget proposal.

    This was disclosed by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina at the end of FEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Read Also:NASS joint committee meets again over INEC 2019 budget

    He was with the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

    According to him, the meeting was necessary to quickly look at the proposal before forwarding it to the National Assembly for consideration.

     

    Details Later…

     

  • Dalung seeks state of emergency in Plateau, other states

    The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, on Friday called for State of Emergency in his home state, Plateau State and other troubled states in the country.

    This move, according to him, will check the persistent killing of innocent people in the affected states.

    He spoke with State House  correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Minister also condemned the renewed killing of people in some local government areas of Plateau in the past few days.

    He maintained that it has become a matter of necessity for President Muhammadu Buhari to impose state of emergency in Plateau, Benue, Zamfara and Taraba to stop the killings.

    He faulted those blaming the federal government over the persistent crisis in Plateau State.

    According to him, Plateau state and the local government authorities should be held responsible for the problem.

    The ‘collapse’ of local government administration, he noted, had contributed immensely to the inability of the security personnel to arrest the problems.

    He said “The Plateau crisis can be traced to many years of inaction by previous and current administrations in Plateau state despite the Federal Government’s efforts to address the problem.

    “It is disheartening that Plateau state has been witnessing killings of innocent citizens in the last four to five days and this is very annoying and disturbing to the government and inhabitants of the state.

    “I alerted the Federal Executive Council on Sept. 5 on the need to take drastic and emergency measures to tackle the crisis because the local and state governments have failed in their responsibility of offering useful information to security agents despite the huge resources being spent on security.

    “It has therefore become imperative for the federal government to declare state of emergency in Plateau and other troubled states across the country so as to put a stop to the killings,’’ he said.

    Warning that nobody should politicize the killing of innocent Nigerians, he said that the federal government was doing all it could to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.

    The government, according to him, had already put in place measures to check cases of insecurity, stressing that Nigeria needed peace and stability for the country to progress and achieve meaningful development.

    “But security personnel alone cannot achieve much in addressing the problem without the support and cooperation of the state and local governments as well as the local communities

    “There is the need for collaboration between all the three tiers of government, the local communities and Youth Councils in order to find a lasting solution to the crisis.” he said

    He identified lack of strong and dedicated leadership at both local and state levels as main factor responsible for the inability of the combined efforts of the security personnel to check the killings in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Zamfara and other troubled states.

    He also sought for the re-reintroduction of Crises Resolution Committee at the local government level.

    The committee’s membership, he said, should be drawn from religious bodies, traditional institution, Cattle Breeders’ Association, farmers’ organisations, women and youth organisations.

    On the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning the 2019 presidential election, Dalung said the party’s presidential candidate, Buhari, had no serious challenger from the opposition parties.

    According to the minister, no Nigerian politician in recent history is as popular and admirable as President Buhari, saying that the president has millions of votes already guaranteed him by his ‘traditional and die-hard’ supporters come Feb. 2019.

    He dismissed the insinuation that President Buhari was desperate for power, saying that the president was only interested in addressing the nation’s socio-economic challenges for the general good of the country.

     

  • Dalung seeks state of emergency in Plateau, other states 

    …Says Buhari has no serious challenger in 2019

     

     

    The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, on Friday called for State of Emergency in his home state, Plateau State and other troubled states in the country.

    This move, according to him, will check the persistent killing of innocent people in the affected states.

    He spoke with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Minister also condemned the renewed killing of people in some local government areas of Plateau in the past few days.

    Read Also:Gunmen kill 5 at Plateau mining site

    He maintained that it has become a matter of necessity for President Muhammadu Buhari to impose state of emergency in Plateau, Benue, Zamfara and Taraba to stop the killings.

    He faulted those blaming the federal government over the persistent crisis in Plateau State.

    According to him, Plateau state and the local government authorities should be held responsible for the problem.

    The `collapse’ of local government administration, he noted, had contributed immensely to the inability of the security personnel to arrest the problems.

    He said “The Plateau crisis can be traced to many years of inaction by previous and current administrations in Plateau state despite the Federal Government’s efforts to address the problem.

    “It is disheartening that Plateau state has been witnessing killings of innocent citizens in the last four to five days and this is very annoying and disturbing to the government and inhabitants of the state.

    “I alerted the Federal Executive Council on Sept. 5 on the need to take drastic and emergency measures to tackle the crisis because the local and state governments have failed in their responsibility of offering useful information to security agents despite the huge resources being spent on security.

    “It has therefore become imperative for the federal government to declare state of emergency in Plateau and other troubled states across the country so as to put a stop to the killings,’’ he said.

    Warning that nobody should politicize the killing of innocent Nigerians, he said that the federal government was doing all it could to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.

    The government, according to him, had already put in place measures to check cases of insecurity, stressing that Nigeria needed peace and stability for the country to progress and achieve meaningful development.

    “But security personnel alone cannot achieve much in addressing the problem without the support and cooperation of the state and local governments as well as the local communities

    “There is the need for collaboration between all the three tiers of government, the local communities and Youth Councils in order to find a lasting solution to the crisis.” he said

    He identified lack of strong and dedicated leadership at both local and state levels as main factor responsible for the inability of the combined efforts of the security personnel to check the killings in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Zamfara and other troubled states.

    He also sought for the re-reintroduction of Crises Resolution Committee at the local government level.

    The committee’s membership, he said, should be drawn from religious bodies, traditional institution, Cattle Breeders’ Association, farmers’ organisations, women and youth organisations.

    On the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning the 2019 presidential election, Dalung said the party’s presidential candidate, Buhari, had no serious challenger from the opposition parties.

    According to the minister, no Nigerian politician in recent history is as popular and admirable as President Buhari, saying that the president has millions of votes already guaranteed him by his `traditional and die-hard’ supporters come Feb. 2019.

    He dismissed the insinuation that President Buhari was desperate for power, saying that the president was only interested in addressing the nation’s socio-economic challenges for the general good of the country.

  • Ebola: DRC players to face screening before World Cup friendly

    The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung on Monday said that arrangement has been put in place to screen the national players of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Leopards, of Ebola virus before playing World Cup friendly with the Super Eagles.

    The disease has recently broke out in some parts of DRC.

    Read Also:Ebola: FG bans transportation of corpses from DR Congo

    But speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Dalung said that the outbreak of the disease will not stop the friendly match.

    According to him, the players will be screened before leaving DRC on flight and also screened on landing in Nigeria.

    He said that any player that refuses to come to Nigeria through the flight will not be allowed to play the match.

    Details Later…

  • Minister of Sports late wife for burial, Feb 4

    The Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung has confirmed, that his wife will be buried on Saturday February 4 at his native town in Plateau state.
    The Sports Minister who is still in shock stated that he has been consoled on the fact that his late wife passed on peacefully even when he was out of the country for an official assignment.
    Meanwhile,the FCT SWAN Chairman, Kayode Adeniyi has commiserated with the Sports Minister and his entire household and prayed God to give him the fortitude to bear the loss.
    Comrade Kayode Adeniyi on Tuesday led executive members of the Pen Profession to pay a condolence visit to Minister of Youth and Sports, Barr Solomon Dalung whose wife Mrs Briskila Dalung passed on last Sunday.
    Barr Dalung who is still pained by the demise of his wife while receiving Sports Writers based in the Nation’s capital at his Gwarinpa residence expressed delight to the leadership of the association for physically identifying with him especially at this period when the entire family is bereaved.

  • ‘Upgrade Aper Aku Stadium’

    ‘Upgrade Aper Aku Stadium’

    The Governor of Benue state, Dr Samuel Ortom has appealed to the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung to use his good office to assist the state in the establishment of a national football academy and upgrade the Aper Aku stadium to international standard.

    Ortom stated in an interview that the state lacked such facilities where international activities can take place.
    He said: “We are soliciting that you kindly facilitate our hosting of national and international sports festivals as this will open our state to investors. We propose a partnership with your ministry to host competitions such as schools sports, sports festivals and inter-collegiate competitions. These activities will help in identifying talents, promoting recreation, tourism as well as physical fitness of our young people.”

    In the same vein, Dalung commended the governor for providing good leadership attributes to the people of Benue state despite huge challenges facing the state.
    “I am here to inspect some of your sporting facilities and that of the Federal Government and also to invite your excellency
    to invest more in sports especially those sports like basketball and volleyball which Benue state monopolized back in the days. Benue must come back and take the lead in these two sports so that Nigeria can be represented in these sports internationally.

    The Minister later visited the Macarty stadium which also serves as club house for Lobi Stars, the Aper Aku stadium including the main bowl, the abandoned swimming pool project, dilapidated Tennis and basketball courts, the APC headquarters as well as the NYSC camp at Wannune Benue state.

  • Falcons: I was misquoted – Dalung

    Falcons: I was misquoted – Dalung

    The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung on Friday recounted his remarks concerning the non-preparedness of the government for the victorious Falcons that won the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) trophy last Saturday.

    In an interview with State House correspondents on Thursday, the Minister had said: “Don’t forget that nobody even knew the team would emerge victorious, if we were confident they will emerge victorious, all the Federation would have done is to plan for process of participation and entitlement.”

    But Dalung on Friday claimed that he was misquoted.

    He said: “May I conclude by trying to put into proper perspective an impression that has made national headlines to the effect that the Federal Government was not anticipating the victory of the Falcons and so could not have planned for it.

    “This statement was attributed to myself. I want to categorically state that this is a statement taken out of context. And I cannot imagine or reconcile how … The commitment of the federal government to the support of the Falcons is indeed overwhelming.

    “That explains why the Vice President himself had to abandon his tight schedule to visit the players in camp that is evidence of preparations for victory.

    “The federal government was prepared because it has records of the antecedents of the performance of the players. The challenges we have today which has to do with their welfare is being given attention.

    “We are working around the clock to see how to raise fund to address the issue of their bonuses,” he stated.

  • Sports federations in dark over Rio 2016

    Sports federations in dark over Rio 2016

    The majority of the sports federations whose athletes have already qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games are still in the dark over participation in the biggest sporting event in the world.

    A few weeks ago, officials of the Ministry of Sports began compilation of list of athletes and officials expected to make the trip to Brazil, but with what is happening at present, nothing seems to be on ground for teams to prepare for the games.

    Less than 50 days before the commencement of the Olympics in Rio and despite the approval of the 2016 Budget, the Sports Ministry has continued to keep mute on the country’s preparation while the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalong who is expected to be on top of the planning seems to be silent in recent times.

    An official of one of the sports federations who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NationSport that it was clear that the Sports Ministry is not ready for the Olympic Games as most of their requests for the games are yet to be approved.

    “We have written to the sports ministry on our plans for the Olympics, but I can tell you that up till now, we have not received any response from them. But we are going ahead with our training because it is obvious that this will be the worst preparation, we have ever had for the Olympic Games. The minister seems to be silent lately as he has been avoiding talking about the Olympic Games,” he lamented.

    Federations like wrestling are at present in Abuja with 18 athletes shaping up for the Olympics with seven of them led by golden girl – Odunayo Adekuoroye expected to lead six others in Brazil in August.

    For table tennis, nothing seems to be on the ground despite the efforts by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) to keep the players in shape with regular tournaments. Some of the players are using their personal fund to attend competitions across the globe in order to prepare well for the games.