I will give equal attention to Sports, Youth development — Dare

Mr. Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development has pledged to give equal attention to the development of Sports and the Youths as he strives to reposition the ministry.

Dare disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja at the sidelines of the 2019 International Youth Day.

The minister who was performing his first official assignment after his swearing-in on Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari alongside 42 other ministers said he his ready to hit the ground running.

He assured that it was not going to be business as usual as he seeks to take the ministry to the next level in line with President Buhari’s mandate.

“I can assure you that attention will be paid to youth development and sports development.

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“The mandate is clear and the two mandate areas will be given equal attention,” he said.

NAN reports that the assurance is coming on the heels of accusation in a section of the media that previous ministers had paid more attention to sports, especially football at the expense of youth development.

The minister had on Wednesday shortly after his inauguration highlighted the nexus between Sports and the youths and how it can be harnessed for national development.

“Youth development is key to the success of any government. We have youths, we have sports. Our mandate area is very clear.

“We must broaden our horizons, we must deepen the work we do and the quality of work we bring to the table.

“I’m not unaware of the challenges, controversies, and development in this ministry.

“It’s a ministry that is dear to the hearts of Nigerians. Beyond sports, there are other ways we can develop the youths. We will be thinking outside the box,” he said.

The minister, a veteran journalist was the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) before his appointment.