The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Chief Sunday Dare has attracted a 600-capacity youth vocational centre to Ogbomosho just as the Chairman of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle has commended the quality interventions of the minister in rehabilitating the victims of SASA market mayhem and prompt facilitation of grants for rural women in Oyo State.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope -Adefulire announced the decision of the federal government to build the vocational centre in Ogbomoso during the installation of Dare as the Agbaakin of Ogbomoso land at the palace of Soun of Ogbomoso land, Dr. Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III
Adefulere disclosed that she was in the palace to felicitate with the minister on the well-deserved royal recognition and honour and to personally inform the highly revered Monarch of the birth of the vocational centre in Ogbomosho.
She said that the federal government chose to site the centre in Ogbomoso as a result of the importance of the city to Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole and promised that construction of the centre would be effectuated in no time.
Dare had in 2020 facilitated the establishment of a 80-bed federal specialist hospital in Pakiotan area of the city.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Ibikunle in a statement he issued yesterday in Ibadan, said that the minister has exhibited great capacity, satisfactory competence and quality care as the representative of Oyo State in the Federal Cabinet with his quick and strategic responses to issues concerning the state.
The Lottery Commission Chairman who had earlier joined Dare last month for on-the-spot assessment of the destruction and visits to both the Baale and Sarki of SASA immediately after the disaster occurred, disclosed that the minister swung into action instantly, taking the matter straight to President Muhammadu Buhari who directed that immediate relief materials be provided for the victims.
According to him, the minister did not stop at that as he approached the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq for immediate succor for the victims and for the welfare of the women of Oyo State generally.
Ibikunle said that it was upon the meeting of Dare with Farouq that the federal government decided to flag off its planned ‘Grant for Rural Women Project’ in Ibadan to make Oyo State women, the first beneficiaries of the well- conceived project.
“Our minister facilitated the flag-off of the rural women grant at the House of chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Umar Farouq. To confirm the importance the Federal Government attached to Oyo State, the Humanitarian Affairs Minister was supported at the flag off by the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Senator Alasoadura, the host Minister, Mr. Sunday Dare and the Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde.
By and large, the National Lottery Commission maintained that the Youth and Sports Minister “has been an excellent representative of Oyo State in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari making us proud with every of his step and action. We are happy that we are being represented by one of our best. It is very gratifying”.
