Ogbomoso-born new Minister of Youth Development and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, has promised to design programmes that would ensure the development of youth beyond sports.
Dare stated this on Wednesday when he officially resumed at the ministry shortly after his inauguration by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I am not unaware of the challenges facing the ministry. It is dear to the heart of many Nigerians especially because of football. Apart from football, we will however focus on other sports too. We will design other programmes that would ensure the development of our youth beyond sports. In this, we must think out of the box,” he said.
The minister, who arrived the premises of the ministry to a rousing ovation at 2.50pm was received by the Director General National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Shuaib ibrahim; the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olusade Adesola; Directors and Heads of agencies and departments.
Dare expressed his profound gratitude to President Buhari for finding him worthy of being appointed a minister and also expressed delight at the reception accorded him by the ministry, adding that work has begun in earnest, especially in view of the President’s agenda to lift about 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
He called for cooperation from the staff of the ministry in order to achieve the the government’s next level agenda,adding that the ministry has to broaden its horizon in view of its important role in national development.
“There are areas that youths can be further elevated with skills and this is important and critical to President Buhari’s agenda for our teeming youths,” the minister said.
Dare promised to strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation to ensure that objectives and goals are achieved.
