Before his voyage into the world of Politics, Mr. Sunday Dare may not have possessed rich experience in sports management; however, he has garnered in his impressive curriculum vitae which has seen him excel in his chosen field of journalism. Then, after his appointment by President Muhammed Buhari, Sunday Dare embarked on a journey, we must say has been worth the while for the helmsman of the Sports industry in Nigeria.
Born 29 May 1966, Mr. Sunday Akin Dare is a veteran and Nigerian journalist who has worked in diverse aspects of the media, spending decades of multimedia journalism experience spanning over 25 years.
In 2016, he served as the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). As the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders’ Management Sunday Dare was in charge of managing the NCC’s interface with public and private sector stakeholders. A role he played superbly with introduction of new ideas and policies into the sector.
He was the brain behind the birth of Social Media Clinic (SMC), a Media/Information Technology (New Media) program aimed at providing information as well as educating private citizens on IT development and sensitising the members of the public on usage of new media as a tool for building responsive society. A role he managed so well, as well as being the Chief of Staff / Special Adviser on media to former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In 2009, Dare was appointed Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and Communications, managing decisions on all subject matter that revolved around media and communications, as well as public information dissemination and media policies that fell within the jurisdiction of the Ministry. Dare also played an instrumental role in the meetings that were held between the leadership of NCC and top executives of the Ministry of Information and Communications. His iconic moment in the Ministry was being a member of the Minister’s advisory team that initiated and executed the sale of the 2.3GHz spectrum frequency in 2014.
As a Journalist, his career took him through the African Division at Voice of America (VOA) Washington, DC between 2001 to 2009, where he served as Chief, Hausa Service.
In his early days as a Journalist, Sunday Dare multitasked as a correspondent with several foreign publications including The Nation magazine in New York; as well as working with the European backed Fourth Estate magazine as a production editor during the military interregnum in Nigeria.
Other journalistic role Dare took on during the military era in Nigeria include being a pioneer member of the Nigerian weekly magazines The News and Tempo; serving as an Editor, Tempo magazine and pioneer Online Editor/Genera
The Ogbomosho born Politician had his secondary school education at Baptist High School in Jos; a city in the Middle Belt of Nigeria from 1978 to 1983, shortly afterwards he studied for an Advanced Level education at Oyo State College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
He thereafter gained admission to Ahmadu Bello University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) honours in International Studies in 1991. His quest for knowledge motivated him to delve further to obtain a Master of Arts (MA) in Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos, Plateau state Nigeria in 1996.
He was a Freedom Forum Fellow and Visiting Scholar, School of Journalism – New York University (NYU) in 1998. He later proceeded to Harvard University under the prestigious Harvard Nieman Journalism Fellowship between 2000 and 2001 where he studied Media and Public Policy.
His professional excellence positioned him for another highly esteemed international experience; Harvard Nieman Journalism Fellowship at Harvard University between 2000 and 2001 where he enrolled for Media and Public Policy studies.
In 2011 Dare once again distinguished himself among his contemporaries from across the world and won the Reuters Foundation Journalism Research Fellowship at University of Oxford, United Kingdom where he contributed to the body of knowledge in the field of media, and researched “New Media and Citizen Journalism in Africa – A Case Study: Using New Media Tools and Citizen Journalism to Investigate Corruption in Nigeria.”
Dare has decades of multimedia journalism experience spanning about 25 years (1991 and 2016) when he was nominated as executive commissioner.
Like his predecessors, the Youth and Sports Minister promised not to be a football minister alone but a minister who will cater for the sports in the country. So far, he has not let anyone down in this, as he has picked interest in other aspects of the Sports industry, especially boxing.
Recently, he discovered a 10 year old boy, Sultan Adekoya in Lagos Nigeria, whose boxing skills marvel many. Sunday Dare through the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development adopted Sultan.
Sunday Dare has also managed the Table-Tennis leg of the Sports arm of his ministry. He has supported our stars in the ping-pong domain in Sports, among other aspects of Sports.
So far, he has not neglected the second leg of his ministry: youth development. The Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (N-YIF), which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) late July, is one of the biggest gains of Dare in the office. N-YIF is dedicated to investing in the innovative ideas, skills, talents, and enterprises of youth. N-YIF has a target to reach 500,000 youth between 2020 and 2023
After his inauguration, Dare rolled out the four-point agenda he would deploy to revive the ailing sports sector.
Among these was grassroots development with states governors and educational institutions all anticipated to play key roles. Also, he reiterated his desire for the provision of facilities in the country.
With sports often seen as a pastime in this part of the world, the Minister has changed the trend and made a clear business model for the sector as it is the case in developed climes.
He has been committed to the rehabilitation of stadia across the nation. Recently, he secured the commitments of two business moguls, Aliko Dangote and Kensington Adebutu (Baba Ijebu) for the renovation of the Abuja and Lagos National stadia respectively.
This is in line with his commitment to revamp the already existing decay, sorry condition, and moribund status of stadia in the country.
Sunday Dare has reached out to ailing sports legends and the vulnerable ones in the industry. Through his kind gesture, the likes of Sunday Eboigbe, Kadiri Ikhana, Christian Chukwu got financial support to treat their ailments.
Similarly, the minister has extended his assistance to the mothers of late Rashidi Yekini, Samuel Okwaraji and quarter-miler Sunday Bada while the families of late coaches Shuaibu Amodu, Stephen Keshi, and Mudashiru Lawal Manga Muhammed are now on his monthly welfare scheme package. This gesture has widely been commended by stakeholders in the Sports industry.
Dare is a recipient of many awards and has been recognized internationally, including being identified as one of the 50 Leading Nigerians in North America 2010 in commemoration of Nigeria’s 50th Anniversary.
He also won the Voice of America Meritorious Honor Award 2009 in recognition of his skillful leadership and outstanding performance; and he also bagged a Committee to Protect Journalists Citation in 2000 by the New York based organization in acknowledgement of his courage as a journalist. Published works.
His published works include; Making A Killing – The Business of War (Public Integrity Books, Washington DC – March 2003), which won the Sigma Delta Chi International investigative award; Guerrilla Journalism: Dispatches from The Underground (Xlibris Corporation, USA. – March 2007); We Are All Journalists – Africa In The Age Of Social Media (Oxford University Press, UK – 2011) the product of Mr. Dare’s research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford University; and Datelines – A Journalists’ Narrative (May 2016). Ongoing works include; Butting Heads – Traditional Media Versus Social Media – Who Blinks First and Marriage that Works – The Convergence of Telecoms & ICT.
He is a member and associate of several professional bodies including the US based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) the Investigative Workshop, American University and a former Knight Fellow, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Washington DC.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the Editorial Board of TheScript Newspaper
