Sunday Akin Dare
Dare in 2023
Minister of Youth & Sports
In office
21 August 2019 – 29 May 2023
Preceded bySolomon Dalung
Succeeded byJohn Owan Enoh
Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission
In office
2 August 2016 – August 2019
Personal details
Born
Sunday Akin Dare

(1966-05-29) 29 May 1966
NationalityNigerian
Political partyAll Progressives Congress
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • politician

Sunday Akin Dare (born 29 May 1966) is a Nigerian journalist who served as the Nigerian Minister of Youth & Sports from 2019 to 2023.[1][2][3] He previously held the position of Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), having been appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2016.[4][5]

Education

Dare attended Baptist High School in Jos, Nigeria, from 1978 to 1983 for his secondary education. He later pursued Advanced level studies at Oyo State College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.[6] He earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) honors degree in International studies from Ahmadu Bello University in 1991. He later completed a Master of Arts (MA) in Law and Diplomacy at the University of Jos, Nigeria, in 1996.[7]

In 1998, Dare was chosen as a Freedom Forum Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the School of Journalism at New York University (NYU). He also pursued Media and Public Policy studies (2000-2001) as a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University.

In 2011, he was awarded the Reuters Foundation Journalism Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford, where his research focused on "New Media and Citizen Journalism in Africa – A Case Study: Using New Media Tools and Citizen Journalism to Investigate Corruption in Nigeria."[8]

Career

Dare began his journalism career by working as a correspondent for The Nation magazine in New York and as a production editor for the European-backed Fourth Estate magazine during Nigeria's military interregnum.[9] He was also part of the founding team of Nigerian weekly magazines The News and Tempo.[10]

Between 2001 and 2009, Dare served as Chief of the Hausa Service, African Division at Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, DC, where he managed various portfolios including the daily production of radio and online broadcast programs. He also led a team of international journalists based in Washington, DC, and correspondents in West Africa for Voice of America.[11]

In 2009, Dare was appointed Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and Communications. In this role, he managed media-related decisions, public information dissemination, and media policies under the Ministry's jurisdiction.[6] He was instrumental in the sale of the 2.3 GHz spectrum frequency in 2014.[12]

Dare founded the Social Media Clinic (SMC), a Media/Information Technology program aimed at educating citizens about IT development and new media usage for building a responsive society.[13] He also served as the Chief of Staff / Special Adviser on media to former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.[14]

In 2016, Dare became the Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), where he managed the NCC's interactions with public and private sector stakeholders.[15]

Controversies

Sunday Dare denied the Nigeria women's national basketball team the opportunity to participate in the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. He initiated a self-imposed ban on Nigeria's international competition involvement shortly before the scheduled start of the World Cup. This decision drew criticism and disappointment from players such as Ezinne Kalu and Upe Atosu. Kalu expressed her reluctance to represent Nigeria again, while Atosu described the situation as "heart-wrenching".

The controversy escalated when, following FIBA's decision to replace Nigeria with Mali at the World Cup, Sunday Dare lifted the self-imposed ban, citing the "overriding spirit of national interest". This reversal of the ban came after Nigeria had been replaced in the tournament, further intensifying the disappointment among Nigerian female players. The sudden change effectively dashed their dreams and invalidated their hard-fought qualification for the World Cup.[16] [17] [18]

Honors and recognition

Dare was recognized as one of the fifty Leading Nigerians during Nigeria's Golden Jubilee anniversary celebration in North America.[6] He also received the Voice of America Meritorious Honor Award 2009 for his leadership and professional contributions in Africa and the diaspora. Additionally, Dare was listed as a member of the International Committee to Protect Journalists Citation in 2000 in New York City.[19][12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "A minister determined to change Nigeria's sports architecture". guardian.ng. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sunday Dare: One Year Journey as Minister of Youth And Sports". 27 August 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "CLOSE-UP: What you didn't know about Sunday Dare, the Jos man who replaced Dalung as sports minister". TheCable. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. ↑ admin (2 August 2016). "Buhari Nominates Durojaiye as NCC Chairman, Dare as Executive Commissioner". THISDAYLIVE. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  5. ↑ Isiaka, Wakili (3 August 2016). "Nigeria: Buhari Appoints New NCC Chair, Commissioners". All Africa. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 "What you should know about Buhari's ministerial nominee, Sunday Dare". Vanguard News. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  7. ↑ Oke, Jeremiah; Ibadan (23 July 2019). "Buhari nominates Sunday Dare as minister". Daily Trust. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  8. ↑ Lawal, Nurudeen (24 July 2019). "Sunday Dare: 15 things you should know about Buhari's ministerial nominee". Legit.ng – Nigeria news. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Sunday Dare | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism". reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  10. ↑ Andre Olaniyan. "Minsterial Profile: About Buhari's ministerial nominee, Sunday Dare | Checkout Magazine". Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  11. ↑ Lawal, Nurudeen (24 July 2019). "Sunday Dare: 15 things you should know about Buhari's ministerial nominee". Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Executive Commissioner: Mr. Sunday Akin Dare". Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  13. ↑ "Sunday Dare, silent poster boy of Nigeria's ICT sector". 26 July 2019.
  14. ↑ NewsNaira.com. "Biography Of Sunday Akin Dare, Nominated For Minister From Oyo State | NewsNaira.com". newsnaira.com.
  15. ↑ "Buhari appoints Durojaiye, Tinubu's aide, Dare, Ararume as NCC members". 2 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  16. ↑ Tunde, Eludini (2 June 2022). "2022 Women's Basketball World Cup: FIBA confirms Mali as replacement for Nigeria's D'Tigress". Premium Times. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  17. ↑ Nigeria, News Agency of (2 June 2022). "Nigerian basketballers lambast Buhari, Sunday Dare, NBBF over ouster from competitions". Peoples Gazette. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Nigerian government makes basketball U-turn". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  19. ↑ "Meet Dare, NCC executive commissioner-designate". The Nation Newspaper. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
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