Youth and Sports Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare has confirmed that the Ministry will fully support the Nigeria Sports Award Committee to scale up it’s aims and objectives of recognizing, encouraging and motivating young and budding Nigerian athletes in their quest for laurels in Athletics.

Hon. Sunday Dare made this known during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the Nigeria Sports Award Committee in his office in Abuja, Friday.

Mr Dare stated that the ministry appreciates the ethos and values that the Award Committee represent, parading eminent personalities and professionals, who have made a mark in Sports.

While acknowledging it’s enviable role in encouraging and motivating our youths to attain excellence in Athletics and sports generally, Hon. Dare disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development will fully support the Award Committee to scale up it’s activities for the benefit of our young and older athletes, stressing that the role of the Ministry will be as Coordinator; while the Committee would be as implementors.

Furthermore, Hon.Dare identified the bane of sports development in the country as lack of content: he said ” presently we don’t have the content for sports, how do we make sports more appealing and attractive…it starts with content”. To address this issue, Hon. Sunday opined that the Ministry will engage crucial stakeholders with like minds and vision and unity of purpose to develop our sports content to our desired level: this he stated, will complement efforts of the Nigeria Sports Award Committee.

Continuing, Hon. Dare stated that the Ministry will constitute a Committee to look into our dismal performance at the just concluded World Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar, emphasizing and assuring that we have the political will to implement the decisions of the Committee.

In his remarks, the Leader of Nigeria Sports Award Committee delegation, Dr Tandoh Kweku stated that Hon. Dare is on the right path of repositioning our sports sector to achieve maximum impact for national development. Dr Tandoh averred that the Committee is the only recognised body in Nigeria, with the mandate of encouraging and motivating our athletes and sportsmen and women generally for podium performances, through the platform of Awards.